


Need to Know

by TDKeh16



Series: "Mon Petit Chou" Series [9]
Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Absent Parents, Anxiety Disorder, Coming Out, Depression, Developing Relationship, Dysfunctional Family, Emotionally Repressed, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Parent-Child Relationship, Past Abuse, Past Suicide Attempt, Protective Parents, Relationship Issues, relationship milestones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-07-21 18:18:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 36,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7398391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TDKeh16/pseuds/TDKeh16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dex and Nursey have been dating for nearly three months. Things are not perfect, but they are pretty damn close. Nothing could change that... Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a follow-up fic to "Lose Control" and picks up immediately after the Mon Petit Chou Trilogy ends. You don't have to read it to understand what's going on in this fic, but if you want to see how these guys ended up together, so there you go!

"Baked that this morning," Bitty followed Jack into the kitchen holding a video camera and immediately zoomed in on the half-empty tin of blueberry pie. Dex, Nursey, Chowder, and Farmer were enjoying it as a snack as they studied together.

"Your baking is not the point of this video, Bittle..." Jack chirped from off-screen.

"Oh hush." They both chuckled quietly. 

Jack was in town filming a short supportive video with Bitty and the Samwell team in response to Corey Henderson of the Las Vegas Aces -- Kent Parson's secret boyfriend --becoming the first out NHL player. This was no regular support video though, because Jack intended to come out about his relationship with Bitty at the end of it in solidarity. The rest of the video would consist of brief interviews with some of their Samwell teammates about life on the country's #1 most LGBT-friendly campus and specifically their inclusive team.

"Okay y'all, you finally get to meet the frogs I talk about so much," Bitty announced as he zoomed out enough to show all four students sitting at the table. This video was going to be posted as a special segment on his vlog which was usually reserved for baking. "Now normally 'frog' means freshman, but even though they are all sophomores, they will forever be my frogs. Here we have Derek, William, Chris, and Caitlin is an honorary frog as well," Bitty narrated and she gave a small wave and a smile at the camera. "Take it away, Jack."

"We're going around the Haus and asking some of the team to share their experiences and what they feel are the benefits of playing on a queer-friendly and inclusive team. Who would like to go first?"

Dex cleared his throat and spoke up. "Well, um, really this group of guys is unlike any I've ever known. The team is very accepting of everyone. It feels safe here."

"Yeah it's pretty chill here. Everybody is free to be themselves with no judgement. The team is very supportive. That isn't always the case with other teams -- _especially_ in hockey," Nursey added.

"I met my two best friends here!! That never would have happened if either of them had felt uncomfortable with joining this team." Chowder beamed at his friends offscreen. "So I'm very happy!!!"

"That worked out pretty well for me too." Nursey grinned.

" _Stop!_ " Dex whispered with a quiet chuckle.

"Would you like to add the volleyball team perspective, Caitlin?" Jack asked as Bitty pointed the camera at her. 

"Oh, well I feel the same way. Those girls are my sisters. As long as you can play the game, you're in," she said with a smile. Chowder snuggled in against her.

Nursey rested one hand on Dex's arm and leaned in to kiss him, but Bitty quickly panned the camera away for their privacy. "Oh, my frogs are all a bunch of lovesick puppies. So cute!"

A bunch of laughter erupted in the living room and Bitty and Jack left to check it out on their way upstairs to finish their video. Ransom, Holster, and Lardo were in there and seemed to be roughhousing. Lardo insisted she was fine between laughs. "I'd be better if these idiots stopped making out on top of me!"

"We're sharing the love, Lards!"

"Making out?" Nursey repeated, not expecting anyone at the table to know if it was true either. He was wrong in that assumption.

"Yeah, they're kinda a thing."

"We saw them kissing at a party once," Chowder admitted and Farmer nodded her head in confirmation.

"And the girls on my team have been gossiping about it because of all that drama with March and April. Thank god _they've_ worked out their situation finally, too. That was really bringing down morale for a while," Farmer said and Chowder also nodded in agreement.

"I also heard Ransom and Holster messing around when I crashed in Chowder's room after Hausgiving," Dex explained to his bewildered boyfriend before turning to Chowder. "Seriously, C. How do you ever get any sleep in the Haus? I heard everyone that night, although Bitty and Jack were definitely the loudest."

Chowder laughed. "Earplugs help! Also, music!!"

"And like, everyone _knows_ what's going on when you put music on, but it's an unspoken thing here," Farmer added.

"Sometimes Lardo gives me this raised eyebrow look when we're brushing our teeth at the same time the next morning, but she never _actually_ says anything. One time she gave me a fist bump!!!"

"Yeah, she'll do that or wink at me sometimes."

Everyone laughed. "Huh. So you all knew something's been going on with Ransom and Holster?"

"Yeah."

They all quieted down and eavesdropped on the conversation occurring across the hall in the living room. It was taking their co-captains a little extra effort to explain to Bitty that their plan to move out together after graduation was as a _couple_  and not just their usual bromantic relationship. In Bitty's defense, it was hard to discern the exact nature of their relationship, as they acted like boyfriends long before they either one of them realized they had deeper feelings.

Jack and Bitty finally realized that they were officially a couple and congratulated them. "About fucking time!" Dex called out from the kitchen and more laughter erupted in the living room. He had been waiting for Ransom and Holster to date for months.

"This team takes up so much of our time, that we can only manage to date each other, apparently." Nursey chuckled to the others at the table. "You're the only exception, Charmer."

"I love that nickname. It's so cute." Farmer giggled at the portmanteau of their last names.

Chowder kissed her. "You're cute."

"You're cute," she insisted.

"I think you're cute too," Nursey said to his boyfriend with a grin.

Dex rolled his eyes. "Shut up, nerd. I thought we were supposed to be studying."

"But we need to defend our honour. Charmer's challenging us for the cutest couple title!"

"There's no contest. They are _clearly_  adorable."

"But-!"

Dex silenced him with a quick peck. "Study now. Make out later."

"Just making out?"

"That's all I'm going to admit to in front of our friends. What the hell, Nurse? I thought you were raised in a 'classy' family," he teased. Despite his words, Dex was discreetly rubbing his hand on Nursey's thigh under the table.

Nursey abruptly stood. "How about a study break? Charmer? You could probably use a little break right? Dex, I forgot something in your room yesterday. Come with me to get it."

"You didn't forget anything in my room."

"No, I definitely left something there."

"Hm... No, I don't think so. I would have noticed this morning." Dex grinned.

" _Babe~!_ " Nursey whined and Dex finally gave in with a laugh. "Good, let's go." Nursey dragged him out of the house and kissed him immediately. "You're diabolical."

"What can I say? I like watching you squirm."

They continued holding hands on their way way back to the dorms. Dex and Nursey had been dating for nearly three months and things were going great. Not perfect, but close. Dex had struggled at first with coming out and coming to terms with his feelings, but now they were out to their team and around campus.

"We really do need to get back to studying this afternoon, though."

"I _am_  going to study! I'm going to study your reactions when I kiss every single freckle on your body..." He clumsily kissed Dex's cheek as they walked. "I found one already."

"Oh my god, stop..." Dex laughed. "You're so annoying." He nudged Nursey with his shoulder. "Are you staying over again tonight?"

"If you're okay with that, then sure."

"My roommate might be home..."

Nursey smiled. "Would you rather come to my room tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Do you want to come to my room  _now?_ "

" _Obviously_."

Nursey laughed and gave his boyfriend's hand a little squeeze. It was an unspoken rule between them that hanging out in Nursey's single room meant fooling around. Dex was still adjusting to the recent changes in his life and everything included with having his first boyfriend, and Nursey was careful not to push things too fast. He wanted Dex to feel comfortable, and little moments like this were big steps for the man who had spent so many years actively pushing his desires down. Nursey was fine taking things as slow as necessary, after all, this was his first real relationship too.

Dex on the other hand, had been wanting to speed things up for a while, but lacked the confidence to make the next move. The few times they had tried, Dex had panicked and Nursey refused to make another move until he was absolutely ready. It was something that Dex loved about him, but it also frustrated him.

"Will?"

Dex had been wrapped up in his own thoughts and did not notice they were already at the dorms. "Hm?"

"You're spacing out. You okay?"

"Yeah, just thinking..." Dex shrugged as they climbed the stairs to Nursey's floor.

"Oh? About _me_ , I hope," Nursey teased.

"Yes, you. And Rans and Holster, and Bitty, and Chowder..."

Nursey raised one perfect eyebrow at him as he unlocked his door. " _Oh?_  Okay, well, this took a decidedly kinkier turn."

"Shut up. Not like _that_. Well, maybe kinda like that..." Dex took off his coat and stuffed his touque and gloves into the sleeve before hanging it on the back of Nursey's desk chair. "Everyone we see on a regular basis is in a relationship now."

"Like us..." Nursey came up behind him and snaked his arms around Dex's waist, kissing the spot on his neck just below his ear. "Found another freckle."

"But we're the only ones not having sex."

"There's nothing wrong with that."

Dex sighed. "But are you really satisfied with that?"

"Of course I am," Nursey replied as he set to work unbuttoning his boyfriend's shirt. "I want _you_ , not your _body_ , Will."

"That would sound more convincing if you weren't currently undressing me," Dex teased.

"Touché. Fine, I want you _more_  than your body."

"So, then-"

Nursey spun Dex around in his arms so that they were face to face. "Babe. There's no rush. We have so much time..." He kissed him gently.

"But aren't you bored with me like this?"

"Boring is the last word I would ever use to describe you," he insisted as he pulled his sweater over his head, making a mess of his curly dark brown hair. "How could I get bored when there are still a thousand freckles on your body I haven't kissed yet?" He kissed Dex again, catching his bottom lip gently between his teeth. 

They kissed the rest of the way to Nursey's bed and Dex shed the unbuttoned shirt from his shoulders. "Is it something else, then? Is there something wrong with me?" Dex pulled away.

"What? No, you're perfect. Babe, come on, you know I hate it when you say self-deprecating shit like that..." Nursey said with a sad frown. He moved to kiss Dex on the neck but he moved away again. "Will?"

"I get that you're afraid of scaring me away or whatever, but don't be. I feel like enough of a freak without having to hang onto the 'virgin' label three months into dating someone who _says_ they're crazy about me but refuses to show it."

Nursey ran one hand slowly down Dex's chest and abs. "I'm not showing it?" 

"You know what I mean."

"We don't have to have sex yet, there's so much left-"

Dex groaned and reached for his shirt. "So much to cross off on our list. So many firsts. Yeah. Got it. I'm well aware of your fucking magical _list_ , Derek." He shoved his arms through his sleeves and started buttoning up his shirt. "Does there have to be an order to this list in your head? Can't we skip a few and get to the end already?"

Nursey frowned. "What do you want from me, Dex?"

"I want you to have sex with me. I want you to _**want**_  to have sex with me. But you _don't_ so here I am looking like a stupid asshole again for getting my feelings hurt or whatever."

" _Babe!_ I-"

"And stop calling me that!" Dex snapped at him. He crossed the room to the desk and grabbed his coat. 

Nursey hopped to his feet and stepped between his boyfriend and the door. "Dex! _Will!_ Stop for a second. I know you're frustrated, I am too-"

" _ **Are**  you?_ You seem as chill as ever, Nurse. I'm sure everything is easy when you look like _you_ , but guys like me don't get many people banging on their doors. You're the only person who's ever really liked me, but I guess you've come to your senses now or something..." Dex tried to push past him, but Nursey gripped his waist. 

"Will... Do you really think you're unattractive? Where the hell did you get an idea like that?"

"This little thing called a _mirror_."

Dex tried to leave again but Nursey continued to hold him back. "Wait. Will... You're beautiful." He winced when Dex scoffed at him. "I mean it. I am _incredibly_ attracted to you... I'm sorry that I made you doubt that for even a second. Babe..."

Nursey maneuvered into his line of vision everywhere Dex tried to look. "You don't have flatter me. I don't need your pity. I'm well aware that I'm covered in freckles and have this bright red hair and these giant ears and-"

"Hey," Nursey said softly. "I love your ears..." He kissed one to prove his point and Dex cracked his first smile since their fight began. He continued to keep Dex from objecting. Nursey ran a hand along his neck and up through his short red hair. "Your freckles are incredible, I never want to stop touching your skin. Your hair is gorgeous, I doubt there is a sunset in the world that could ever come close to this colour. And your eyes, Will, they're out of this world. They're incredible and I _literally_  never want to stop looking at them."

Dex chuckled quietly. "Okay, I get it. Stop. I don't know whether to be more embarrassed for myself or you at this point." His smile faded and he hooked his chin on Nursey's shoulder to avoid making eye contact. "So then, why don't you want...?" Dex trailed off when he felt tears forming in his eyes. The last thing he wanted to do was cry. It was so much easier when he was angry, but Nursey had chipped away at those defences with his sweet words.

Nursey hugged him as soon as he heard the crack in his voice. "Babe. Dex. Will..." He pleaded. "I _want_  to, I promise. Fuck, Dex, I want you so bad I can barely stand it sometimes..."

"But?"

"You panicked last time. I never want to see you that scared again. I _especially_ never want to be the _**reason**_ for it. So I'm more than happy to take things slow until I know you're completely comfortable with having sex."

Dex let out an impatient sigh. "I freeze up sometimes, you know that. Just keep going. Push me past it and I'll have no choice but to deal with it."

"I won't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because that's fucking _evil_. There's no way in hell I'd ever try to hurt you like that." Nursey kissed his neck and carefully stepped Dex backwards away from the door and closer to his bed. "Stay here, okay? I think we should talk." He felt Dex tense up. "Shit. Not a break up 'we should talk', a regular kind. A 'we should talk' about this issue because I love you and want us to be on the same page kind."

Dex meant to hang his coat back on the chair but it slipped out of his hand. "Did you... Did you just say you love me?"

"I, uh- _shit_ , I didn't mean to tell you this soon. I wanted to wait a while longer so that I didn't seem like a weirdo or something. We haven't even had our third month anniversary or anything, I know, but I've liked you so long that I loved you already by the time we even started dating... Crap. I shouldn't have said that either. You're totally creeped out now, aren't you?"

"Derek," Dex said with a soft smile and touched his arm, guiding him in close enough to kiss. "I already know you're a weirdo," he whispered against Nursey's lips. "It's one of the things I love about you."

Nursey let out a quiet burst of nervous laughter. "Oh thank god. I really don't want to scare you away." He clung tightly to Dex's waist and kissed him. "Come here..."

They lied down on Nursey's bed, legs and arms tangled together. They kissed for a few minutes and Dex's shirt became unbuttoned again somehow in the process, though he could not say for sure whether Nursey did it or he did. Dex was definitely the one who unbuttoned the fly of Nursey's jeans, though. He trusted Nursey's words, but a part of Dex needed that physical confirmation that his boyfriend was as attracted to him as he said. "Derek..."

They both wriggled out of their jeans but Nursey stopped them before going any further. "Shit. Wait. I really need to explain something first."

"Can't it wait?" Dex purposely edged his hips closer at the same time as he lazily kissed Nursey's neck.

"It can't." That got Dex's attention, so Nursey continued. "It's not just for your sake. To be honest... I'm pretty nervous too. I know you think I have all this experience and everything, but it's really not much. I've fooled around with a few guys before, yeah, but I've only had sex with one and it was only one time... And it was terrible."

"Terrible?"

"It was uncomfortable, and kinda hurt, and only lasted about a minute. It was awful in basically every way imaginable. He also said he would use a condom and then _didn't_ , so I spent the next month absolutely convinced that I had every STD in the book until Shitty found out and threatened to kick my ass if I didn't get tested. I was fine by the way, but the whole experience kinda soured me wanting to try again for a while."

"Shitty? So this happened last year?"

"Oh, uh, no. Like, almost five years ago? Towards the end of my first year at Andover," Nursey clarified. "And I know that was like, an _exceptionally_ bad experience, but I would never forgive myself if I ended up being _that guy_ for you."

"That's impossible. You know that, right?"

"Rationally, yeah, I know that. And I know it's not going to be _perfect_... But I'd rather we get as close as we can, because I'd hate for you to feel uncomfortable or used or anything less than 100% ready." Nursey kissed along the hard line of Dex's jaw towards him mouth. "I'm so sorry that I let my own insecurities make you feel you unwanted or doubt my feelings for even a second. I want you to feel safe with me."

"I do feel safe with you. Always." Dex kissed him and pulled him closer. "I hope you do, too."

Nursey smiled as Dex combed his fingers through his curls. "Always, babe." 

"That's another first for your list, I guess, huh?"

"What is?"

"First fight."

Nursey laughed. "Pretty sure we fight all the time."

"First fight since we started dating that was actually about our relationship instead of some stupid shit that doesn't matter like the best dipping sauce for chicken tenders."

"True, and we passed with flying colours if I dare say so," Nursey said with a grin. "But come on. It's _obviously_  plum sauce."

Dex scoffed. "In your dreams, Nurse. It's so gross. Give me literally anything else above plum sauce. Like, motor oil."

"That would probably kill you. You know, for a guy named Poindexter, you're not so bright sometimes." Nursey nipped at his lip and they both laughed.

"Still better than fucking plum sauce."

"Just you wait. Next time I'm going to drink straight plum sauce and just make out with you immediately."

"I'm never kissing you again." Dex laughed. "Besides, your argument is invalid. You don't even eat chicken!"

Nursey surged forward, rolling Dex onto his back and positioned himself partially on top of him, their legs still entwined. "My arguments are always valid. I _used_  to eat chicken, and plum sauce is obviously the best. So accept defeat so we can kiss and make up already."

Dex groaned as Nursey slowly started to grind his hips. He pulled the other man down, close enough that they were almost kissing. "Motor oil..." Dex whispered.

"Fuck. Fine. I concede. You're such a dick sometimes. You know I can't stand not kissing you, especially when you're in my bed like this. So sexy..." Nursey may have lost the dipping sauce argument, but it was worth it to see Dex's ears turn red as he started to blush. He nibbled one gently and Dex squirmed beneath him. "See? I told you I loved your ears."

Dex closed his eyes and his flush spread across the rest of his face and down his neck. "Shut up already and kiss me, jackass." He turned his head and instantly found Nursey's lips, hands moving lower. They may not have been having sex yet, but there was still a lot that they could do together. Besides, Nursey said he loved him, so nothing else really mattered in that moment. 

Things were not perfect, but they were damn close. Nothing was going to change that.

...Right?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick notes: Exeter is another elite prep school, and is Andover's rival.
> 
> The title of this fic is taken from the song "ILYSB" by LANY. There is a really lovely cover version by Josh Sahunta that you can find on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/qtZdOhvqFvY

A week had passed since the Samwell team had released their video and the campus was still buzzing. Bitty was now a minor celebrity, although it helped that Kent Parson had also come out since and some of the spotlight had shifted away from him and Jack. "So you already knew about Kent Parson I guess, huh?" Nursey asked Bitty as he waited for a pecan pie to bake.

"Yes, dear. Jack and I were the only people who knew. Well, aside from his boyfriend, _obviously_." Bitty chuckled.

"So that picture of the four of you together at dinner, that was like a double date or something?"

"Yes, and believe you me that was an unusual night. Corey Henderson was very friendly though, thank god for that."

"Kent Parson is pretty nice too, isn't he?"

Bitty tensed a little. He held a higher opinion of him now than he used to, but they were not quite at the friend stage yet. "He's... Quite a character, that boy."

"Who's a character?" Chowder wandered into the kitchen, summoned by the smell of baking pie. "Nursey!! I didn't know you were here!" He sat down happily at the table with him to wait.

"We were talking about Kent Parson and Corey Henderson. That picture of them with Jack and Bitty was a double date," Nursey caught his best friend up to speed. 

"Ooh!!! I love double dates. Hey, Bitty! Did you know that we double date all the time?? It's so great that my two best friends are dating each other because we can do fun stuff like this all the time!"

"That's wonderful, Chowder." Bitty smiled. "Where is Dex, anyway?"

"Studying. He's got a big test coming up in his-" Nursey got distracted by his ringing phone. Who was calling him now? The only people who ever called rather than texted were his parents. The call display confirmed his suspicions. "Shit. Sorry, gotta take this." He ducked out of the kitchen and walked down the hall to answer it. "Yeah?"

His mother clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Tsk. You shouldn't answer the phone that way, Derek. What if I had been a potential employer?"

"I have caller ID on my phone, mom. I knew it was you."

"They could be borrowing my phone, you never know." That would have sounded outlandish to almost anyone else, but Nursey was well aware of his parents' connections, and their intentions to set him up with a cushy job working for one of their friends.

Nursey sighed. "Sorry, mom." Although he was fairly certain it would not matter anyway. It was not like any of those offers would be based on his own merit. "To what do I owe the honour of this phone call?" He asked sarcastically. His parents may have been the only ones who ever called him, but that did not mean they did it often. 

"I just wanted to check in with you and see how you were doing at your new school."

"It's not really 'new' mom, this is my second year here."

"It's so hard to keep track of you sometimes. You kept our last conversation so short. That was on Valentine's Day, wasn't it?"

"My _birthday_ , yeah." Nursey paced around the room at the back of the house usually reserved for flip cup and keg stands.

"Was there any _special reason_ you needed to hurry off the phone that day?"

He dragged his hand down his face. The only time his parents called him was when they wanted to brag about some accomplishment that did not actually matter, or to check that his behaviour was not going to embarrass them. Someone must have tipped his mother off to him being in a relationship. "How much do you know?"

"Your father and I heard that Jack Zimmermann is gay. He's dating one of the boys on your team, right?"

"Yeah he's dating one of the guys here. He's not gay though, I don't think. He's had girlfriends before. Dating a man doesn't automatically make someone gay, mom. He could be bi or pan or anything really. Why does it matter?"

"It _doesn't_ matter, Derek."

Nursey tensed up again. "So why are you asking me about it?"

"Well some friends of ours showed us the video that Jack Zimmermann made at your school. Why didn't you tell us you were in it?"

 _Because it isn't about **you** ,_ Nursey wanted to say. "It was just a little clip of me talking about the team. I'm only on screen for like, 5 seconds."

"I noticed there were a few shots of you playing with that red-haired boy. The one you were sitting next to at the table."

"Yeah, we're both defensemen. We're almost always on the ice together."

"And _off_ the ice?"

Nursey sighed. "Can you just say what you mean? For _once?_ If this is you trying to ask if he's my boyfriend, then yeah. He is. Three months now."

"I don't know why you're copping such an attitude with me, young man. This is wonderful news!"

"It is?"

"Sylvia Livingstone-Pratt has been running everyone's ears off about her daughter's humanitarian work and-"

"Wait- _what?_ "

"Just wait until she hears that _my_ son the athlete from Jack Zimmermann's alma mater is _also_ gay."

He scoffed. "I'm not gay, mom. When did I ever say I was. We just went over this, I-"

"Okay so you're pansexual or one of those trendy things you mentioned earlier, even better. Tell me all about this boyfriend of yours. What is his name? Is he from a good family? Where is he from? Where did he go to school?"

Nursey found nearly every conversation with his parents to be exhausting, but this one was particularly taxing. He should have known that his mother would try to use this news to some social or political advantage for his family. The people in their circle were constantly trying to one-up each other with the latest gossip and bragging rights. Nursey hoped a little information would go a long way this time. "His name is William Poindexter. He's from Maine."

"Oh, he went to Exeter? Well, I suppose it _is_  a good school. It's certainly not as good as Andover, though."

He groaned. "No. His last name is _Poin **dexter**_. I didn't say anything about Exeter. I don't know where he went for high school -- probably a public school."

She gasped. "A _public_ school? Derek, dear, you _must_ be joking."

"It's not like I said he was a criminal or something, Jesus Christ!"

"Derek! If your grandfather could here you taking the lord's name-"

"You mean the man who stopped talking to you for an entire decade when you married a Muslim? Yeah, I could not give less fucks about what he thinks about anything to do with me."

"Derek! You watch your language when you're talking to your mother!"

"Sorry. 'What would people think if they heard me,' right? I've gotta go, mom. Lots of homework to do."

"We'll continue this conversation tomorrow, then."

"Sure, mom. Love you too." Nursey hung up the phone before hearing if she responded. " _ **Fuck!**_ " He shouted out in frustration. He took a moment to compose himself and walked back down the hallway to the kitchen.

Bitty busied himself with washing a plate, but Chowder made eye contact immediately, a worried frown on his face. "Nursey, what's wrong??"

He sighed heavily. "My parents know I'm dating Dex."

"Oh no! Were they mad?"

"The opposite."

Bitty turned around from the sink. "Nursey, hun, isn't that a good thing?"

"It _would_ be, if the opposite of angry meant 'happy' with them. Instead, my mom was just excited to use my life to stamp out a couple more squares of diversity bingo with her friends. Who knew having a queer son was so trendy?" He scoffed.

"I'm sure she doesn't think _that_ -"

"No, she does. That was her _exact_ word for it. Well, until she found out Dex didn't go to a fucking prep school, maybe she won't want to brag about her trendy son 'slumming it' with a public school kid."

" _Oh_." Chowder gave a sad sigh. He had gone to a prep school in California, he knew the type of person Nursey's mother was like all too well.

He sighed again and dropped into the a chair beside Chowder. "Yeah, exactly." 

"What's wrong with public school exactly?" Bitty asked sheepishly.

"Nothing, Bitty. _Literally nothing._  Fuck, this is why I hated Andover so much. It was a school full of teenaged versions of my mother, except more conservative. Shitty was the coolest guy there and he graduated after my first year. Finding chill people in that WASP-y as fuck school was like looking for needles in a haystack."

Chowder leaned over and gave him a hug. "Can I help at all?"

"Nah, but thanks, C. Sorry for venting like that, you guys."

"Nothing to apologize for, Nursey. It helps to let it out sometimes." Bitty smiled.

Nursey gave a small smile in return and hooked an arm around Chowder's shoulder. "Well, thank god for Samwell, right? And chosen family."

"Right," Bitty agreed and the three young men shared a quiet chuckle. 

Nursey let out another quiet sigh, a contented one this time, and looked around the kitchen while Bitty returned to washing his last couple of dishes. Nursey loved hanging out at the Haus. It was the first place that ever felt like a real home to him, which was something he never would have expected from a building that was essentially a frat house. He felt more at home there than he ever did at his parents' house, though he suspected that Bitty's presence did a lot to make the Haus feel so comforting.

He heard a quiet click and looked up to find Bitty taking a picture with his cell phone. "Sorry, couldn't resist. Y'all were looking so cute with your arms around each other."

"Ooh! Bitty, can you send me that picture??"

"Sure, Chowder."

"Too bad Dex isn't here."

Nursey chuckled. "Send him that picture and tell him Bitty has three different pies ready. He should take a break for a bit anyways."

"Ooh!! Good idea!!!" Chowder quickly typed out a text message and received a reply almost immediately. "He's on his way!"

"Good." Nursey smiled and set to making a pot of coffee, assuring Bitty that he did not need to help. He knew for a fact that Dex had been up since six o'clock in the morning on only about five hours of sleep and one cup of coffee. "Hey, um... Could you guys not mention that stuff about my parents just now? He's got enough on his mind right now with that test he's got in the morning. I'll tell him about it tomorrow, or, well... Maybe the day after. It might kill the mood if I tell him tomorrow."

"Oh, that's right!!! Tomorrow is your anniversary, huh?"

Nursey gave a small laugh, a little embarrassed to be talking about celebrating an "anniversary" of three months in front of his best friend who had been in a serious relationship for over a year, and Bitty who was close to the one-year mark with Jack. "Yeah, well, I know it's just three months and all..."

"Three months is a big deal!" Bitty insisted with a reassuring smile.

"Yeah!! Caitlin and I celebrate _every_ month!!!"

"Still?"

"Yeah!!!"

Nursey chuckled and nodded his head. _Of course_ they did. Chowder and Farmer were so lovey-dovey with each other that it was almost annoying -- _almost_. In fact, Nursey figured it would be annoying if he had to witness that behaviour from anyone else, but instead it just made him happy to see his friend so happy. Chowder almost always _looked_  happy of course, but there something different when he was with her, something more genuine and confident. 

"Dex!!! How is your studying going??"

Nursey turned around from the counter where he had been watching the coffee slowly drip into the pot. Dex looked exhausted, as Nursey had expected. What Nursey had not expected was for Dex to make a beeline for him, wrapping his arms around Nursey's waist and letting his head fall against his shoulder. "Hey, babe. You okay?" He asked, bringing one hand up to gently touch Dex's back while bracing himself against the counter with his other hand.

"I can't even think straight right now, I'm so tired."

"You should take a nap, Will." Nursey leaned his hip against the counter and brought his other hand up to push back his boyfriend's short red hair so he could kiss the thin scar along his hairline. "I'm making coffee? It should be ready soon, if that helps?"

Dex let out a little scoff and chuckled. "Why do you sound so unsure? You didn't _realize_  you were making coffee?" He teased.

"I'm just surprised you're being so affectionate in front of an audience," Nursey admitted. He felt Dex freeze up. "It's just C and Bitty, relax."

Dex pulled back a little, but his arms stayed locked around Nursey's waist. Right. Chowder and Bitty were there. He knew that -- Chowder had greeted him when he came in the room. Shit. What had he asked? Dex had completely ignored him the second his eyes fell on Nursey. "Chowder? Sorry, what did you ask?"

"Oh! I asked how studying was going... Not great, huh?" Chowder spoke quieter than his usual excited bursts, almost as if Dex was actually asleep and he was trying not to wake him.

"I've read the same paragraph repeatedly for the past half hour and still have no clue what it says. Hopefully some sugar and coffee will help."

Nursey frowned at the coffeemaker as it continued to brew, regretting that he had set it to a full pot instead of just half. If he was only making half a pot it would have been done by now and Dex could already have his first cup poured. 

"Nursey, hun, a watched coffee pot never brews. You boys should sit down."

Nursey tried to move them both back to the table but Dex resisted for a moment, whispering in his ear instead. "Happy anniversary, Derek."

He smiled. "Happy anniversary. Now come on, sit down. You're dead on your feet, babe." Today was the actual day of their anniversary, but they were waiting to celebrate until the next day so Dex could focus on his test. Nursey guided him towards the table and they sat down across from Chowder. 

"You're lucky Rans and Holster aren't home right now, wouldn't want you boys getting fined for using pet names..." Bitty teased.

"They're home. They're just, you know, _upstairs_ ," Chowder said cryptically. "So I came _downstairs_."

" _Ohh_. They didn't put on music?" Bitty laughed. "Dex sweetheart, I have cherry, blueberry-lemon, and strawberry-rhubarb pies. Which one would you like?"

"Blueberry-lemon, I guess? Thanks Bitty." Dex smiled and took the piece his older teammate quickly sliced and brought over.

"Holster put on music, but the first song that played was that 'Afternoon Delight' song? They laughed for three minutes and then, you know, _stopped_  laughing."

Bitty laughed again, shaking his head. "What else can you do, right? How do you like that pie, Dex?" He continued to carry on both conversations without missing a beat.

"It's delicious."

"I'm glad you like it. Your coffee is ready, Nursey."

Nursey sprung to his feet to pour Dex a cup. Part of him liked when Dex got overtired like this, because he became so cuddly. The rest of him was rational and hated that Dex was stressing himself into exhaustion over his upcoming test. Nursey resolved to let him get his fill of sugar and coffee, then force him to take a nap -- even just a short one -- back at the dorms. If he was tired to the point of not being able to concentrate, it was the only thing that would help. Plus Nursey felt responsible for keeping Dex awake so late the night before talking.

"I can't believe I didn't notice something was going on between them all this time. It makes so much _sense_ , but they've always been sort of _affectionate_ with each other so it wasn't as noticeable. Even seeing Holster lying on the couch with his head in Ransom's lap and Rans playing with his hair seemed   _normal_  for them," Bitty continued on chatting to Chowder. "Well, I'm happy they are so happy."

"In the middle of the afternoon," Chowder added.

"Well, we've _all_  been there before, haven't we, _Chowder?_ " Bitty said with a small grin and an eyebrow raised in the goalie's direction. The thin Haus walls meant that all the residents were far too familiar with their hausmates' sex lives. 

Despite that fact, Nursey hoped he could get dibs from one of the seniors at the end of the year, Dex too. He had friends at Andover, but not like this. The team at Samwell really did feel like a family. If he had felt this way at Andover, maybe Nursey would not have minded spending three quarters of the year away from his parents. 

Nursey poured coffee for himself and Dex, checking quickly if the other two men wanted any as well. He set Dex's cup down carefully in front of him and placed a quick kiss to his forehead, earning a quiet grunt from Dex in response as he was temporarily kept from the pie on his fork. Nursey laughed.

"Thanks Nurse," Dex said after he finished his current bite and took a sip of the coffee. He hooked his ankle around Nursey's under the table and smiled into his next sip of coffee, slowly starting his return to the waking world.

Nursey rested his arm on the back of Dex's chair and smiled at him. Some days he had trouble believing that his life was this good now. So many little events had led him here, and any one of them could have sent his life in a drastically different direction. If he had not gone to Andover, he never would have met Shitty. If he had not befriended Shitty, he probably would not have bothered checking out Samwell. If he had not gone to Samwell, he never would have befriended Chowder, and in turn, Dex. If he had not become friends with Dex, he never would have fallen in love with him. If Dex had not kissed him that night... Nursey would have pushed his own feelings down and lost him forever. Every time he saw Dex's face, he was reminded of how lucky he was that all those little steps had led him here.

"What are you smiling at, nerd?" Dex grinned and took another sip of his coffee.

" _You_." Nursey grinned as he watched his boyfriend's ears turn pink, the first sign he was starting to blush. He really loved Dex's ears.

Dex cleared his throat and busied himself finishing the last bite of pie and chugging down the rest of his coffee. "I should get back to studying..."

"I'll walk you back to your room," Nursey offered and stood with him. They said their goodbyes quickly and paused at the coat rack near the front door. "Where's your coat?"

"I didn't wear one. I thought the cold air would help wake me up."

"Tsk," Nursey scoffed. He held out his own coat but Dex refused it, so instead he unzipped his hoodie and forced Dex to wear it over his sweatshirt. He then handed him his touque and gloves. "Wear these too, at least."

"I'm fine, it's a five minute walk. You don't-"

" _ **Will,**_ " Nursey insisted and finally Dex smiled at him and made a show of pulling the touque down too far on his head. Nursey laughed at him. "Fuck, I love you so much."

Dex turned red in his cheeks. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. There was something hanging in the air that they had both noticed but pretended not to -- when Nursey had told him he loved him a week earlier, Dex had not said it back. Here it was again, and Dex still did not know what to say. It was not like he _didn't_ love him, he was just not 100% sure that he _did_. Not yet. He opened his mouth and closed it again. His discomfort must have shown on his face, because Nursey spoke up to break the silence.

"It's okay, you don't have to say it back just because I said it. Take your time. We're going at your pace, remember? So don't feel obligated to say it back until you're 100% sure, okay?"

"So you're... You're still going to say it even if I don't say it back?"

"Unless you don't want me to."

Dex stepped forward and kissed him. Nursey's unwavering patience with him was another thing that Dex loved about him. There were plenty of things he _loved about_ Nursey, but he was not sure he was at the point where he could definitively say he was in love with Nursey. Dex had never been _in love_ with anyone before, he was not even sure how he was supposed to feel. He pulled back gently from the kiss. "I want you to. I always want to know what you're thinking and feeling, okay? Don't hold back because of me, okay?"

Nursey pushed Dex gently back against the wall and kissed him again, keeping one hand against his chest to feel his heart pounding. Dex did not need to tell his feelings yet, Nursey was already fairly certain of how he felt, so he would wait. "Okay then. I love you," he said with a final small kiss. "Let's go back to your room now.

"Okay." Dex smiled.

Nursey delighted in how his still-sleepy boyfriend leaned into him as they walked back to the dorms, curling around his arm instead of holding his hand like normal. A small part of him twinged with guilt. He could not tell Dex what he was thinking about at the moment, despite having just promised that he would. No. He would wait until after tomorrow. He did not want to ruin the nice dinner he had planned for their three month anniversary by discussing his elitist parents.

It did not matter what they thought, anyway. If his mother and father wanted to have opinions on how he lived his life, they should have been more involved in it before now. If his childhood nanny had an opinion, he might be inclined to hear _her_ out, she was the woman who raised him for the most part. Just because he went to Andover, and both of his parents went to Andover, it did not mean he had to find someone from a prep school too. He was happy with Dex. Happier than anyone else had ever made him feel before. 

They arrived at Dex's dorm room and discarded their outerwear. Dex immediately tried to sit back down at his desk, still wearing his boyfriend's hoodie, but Nursey pulled him into bed. "Nurs-"

"Shh. Nap for a bit. You're not going to retain anything if you're so tired. Sleeping helps your brain hold onto what you just learned," Nursey explained while spooning him.

"But I just took a long break. All I'm going to remember is that you make half-decent coffee and blueberry-lemon pie is delicious," Dex fussed, but only half-heartedly. He was very tired, and not entirely opposed to cuddling with his boyfriend for a little while. His boyfriend. The words still felt foreign to him sometimes, but the anxious feelings that bubbled up were quickly soothed by the warmth he felt whenever he was with Nursey. Dex let out a sleepy sigh. "Just ten minutes, okay?"

"An hour," Nursey insisted.

"Half an hour."

"Fifty minutes."

"Forty-five minutes, final offer. I'm setting the alarm on my phone." Dex fished his cell phone from his pocket and set the alarm. 

"Fine," Nursey agreed and wrapped his arm around Dex, linking their fingers together. He placed a gentle kiss to the nape of his neck and settled his head on the pillow. "Your hair smells nice, babe."

Dex chuckled. "Stop saying embarrassing things and let me sleep."

"Pfft! You wanted to know what I was thinking. Well, I'm thinking that your hair smells so amazing that I kinda want to drink your shampoo."

"Shut up, weirdo. That would kill you." Dex gave his fingers a little squeeze. "Or at the very least give you bubbly burps."

"Bubbly burps that smelled amazing."

"Forty-three minutes left, Nurse."

"Okay, okay. Goodnight, Will."

Dex pressed his back against Nursey's chest to cuddle a little tighter. "Goodnight, Derek."

Nursey smiled when he felt Dex's breathing steady into his sleeping state. It did not matter what his parents or their friends might think. Dex was good for him. He made him feel loved even though he had not yet said it. Dex made him happy. That was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: do NOT drink shampoo
> 
> Nursey's parents sound pretty awful, huh? They're okay with him having a boyfriend, but only if he comes from a "good" (aka rich) family?  
> I wonder how Dex's family would react if they knew about his relationship with Nursey?
> 
> Comments are always appreciated! They do wonders for my anxiety-riddled little heart, especially when I'm hitting that self-doubt slump halfway through writing the next chapter lol


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: mention of past physical child abuse and homophobia 
> 
> \---
> 
> Also, I recently reorganized my fics and decided to include this one (and a couple one shots) in my "Mon Petit Chou" Series (formerly a trilogy lol). You don't have to read the preceding fics for this one to make sense, but since they all fall into the same "universe" of fics, I decided I'd rather keep them in one spot. I'm not quite sure how AO3 works with this, so my apologies if subscribers got a whole bunch of notifications just now. It should only be for new chapters from here on out.

"Is there something wrong with your food?" Dex looked up from his plate. "Did you find a bacon bit or something? I saw the waitress write down 'definitely no meat' on her little notepad thing. I can wave her over next time she comes this way."

"Hm? No, it's great. There's nothing wrong with my meal."

"So then, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Nursey said and smiled at him. "How's your meal?"

"It's good. Really good. I'd give you a bite, but..." Dex looked down at his chicken carbonara pasta.

Nursey chuckled. "Yeah, thanks but no thanks. Want to try this?"

"You just want to see me with my mouth open..." Dex grinned.

Nursey dropped his fork and looked around them in a panic to check if anyone had overheard. " _Dex!_ "

"Nobody heard me, relax. It was just a joke."

"Are you drunk right now? Did you switch out your water glass for straight vodka when I went to the bathroom?"

"Obviously not. You're just so tense, I was trying to lighten the mood, jesus..." Dex frowned and took another bite of his pasta.

"Sorry, just... I'll tell you after dinner. It's nothing you did, I just have something on my mind." Nursey did not want to get into it at dinner, but he had spoken to his mother again that afternoon and it had gone even worse than the day before.

_\--_

_"And just to be clear -- his parents didn't send him to public school for 'worldly experience' or something like that?"_

_"No, mom. He's just a normal guy who went to a normal school. You know shipping your 14 year old off to a boarding school in a different state is the unusual thing here, right?"_

_"Derek, don't be so dramatic. You make it sound like you were half a country away. It was only fours hours, even less with the way your father drives." His mother scoffed. "Speaking of your father, I told him about this boyfriend of yours and he's concerned as well."_

_"Of course he is."_

_"I wish you would be serious about this, Derek. We're worried about you. We didn't think that kind of boy -- or girl -- would be at an expensive school like Samwell."_

_"He's here on a scholarship..."_

_"Well, all the more reason to worry, then. How are you so sure he's not some gold-digging boy who is using you for your money now that he's got his hooks in you? Your school doesn't provide the sort of degrees that make **real** money. What is he studying?"_

_"Computer programming."_

_"Perfect. My point exactly. You think you will be happy marrying an IT guy? Get serious, Derek."_

_Nursey seethed. "We're not getting **married** , mom. It's only been three months! And how dare you assume such awful things about him? You don't even know him! You don't even know **me** , for that matter." He hung up his phone and carried on his way home to get ready for his date with Dex._

_\--_

After dinner, Dex sat quietly on Nursey's bed with his legs folded, chewing his lip as he processed the abridged version Nursey had shared about the conversations with his mother. "So, I'm not good enough for your family? Your parents are okay with you dating a man, just not _me_."

"Screw them. Seriously. I don't give a fuck what they think, okay? I love you. I didn't even want to tell you about all this, but I didn't want to lie to you either." He curled up beside Dex and wrapped his arms and legs around his torso. Nursey rested his head on his shoulder and kissed his neck.

Dex sighed. "How did they even find out about me?"

"They saw the team support video and noticed that I was with you a lot in the clips. My mom asked, so I told her."

Dex paled and his body stiffened up. "What if my family saw it too?" He had not considered the possibility that appearing in Jack and Bitty's video might out him. Dex did not care what most people thought of it, but he certainly cared what his parents and siblings thought... And if his father found out, what would happen? He squirmed out of Nursey's grasp as he began to panic. "If my father..."

Nursey was taken aback. He knew Dex came from a relatively conservative Republican family, but he had never spoken of them as anything less than loving. In fact, his family sounded quite close and his parents very supportive. "Hey, it's okay. You're okay. They would have mentioned it by now if they knew, right? You just talked to your parents a couple days ago, right?" His chest tightened when Dex started to shake. "Babe, what's wrong?"

Dex looked at his own trembling arm, then promptly sat on his hands to try to contain it. "Shit. Sorry, I can't control it."

"Don't apologize. How can I help? Tell me what you need."

"That scar on my forehead that you like to kiss--" Dex paused when Nursey's eyes widened. "Yeah, I know you do it. It's not like I've ever forgotten that it's there -- Where do you think I got it from?"

"I always assumed it was from hockey, or a fight."

Dex shook his head and looked down at the bed. "Poindexter isn't my birth name. My stepdad adopted my siblings and I when my mom got remarried. When I talk about my _dad,_ it's actually him. My biological _father,_ well..." He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, still refusing to raise his head. "They were already getting divorced, but nothing had been finalized yet. He had hit my mom a couple times, but had never hurt us kids so there wasn't a 'reason' to deny him time with us. I was seven years old, and, uh..."

"Will..." Nursey was not sure what he was about to say, but he tried to comfort him in whatever small way he could. He inched closer and rested his hand on Dex's thigh, his thumb gently rubbing his knee.

"My older siblings were at a classmate's birthday party, and my mom was taking my little sister somewhere, I don't really remember where. I was at my aunt's house and my cousin Andrea wanted to play fashion designer. She's older than me so I was her guinea pig, and she dressed me up in all these play clothes. My father came to pick me up and saw me in girls' clothes and just freaked out. He screamed at me the entire car ride home, just completely irate about having 'some kind of fag' for a son. I didn't even understand what I did wrong -- it's not like I _wanted_  to dress up like a girl or anything. 

"I, uh... I don't remember a lot after we got home, but he beat the shit outta me. I remember him hitting me a few times, and I remember seeing blood, and then not really being able to see much of anything. There was a big bang sound that I guess was the cops breaking the door... Apparently some neighbours heard me screaming and called the cops, but I don't really recall any of that, just them showing up. I remember it hurting when my mom hugged me in the hospital but I've blocked out the rest of it. "

" _Shit_..."

Dex kept his head down, eyes fixed on Nursey's hand. "I ended up with that scar on my hairline, a broken arm and some ribs, a bunch of bruises and I lost some teeth, but just baby ones, thankfully." Dex took another deep breath and exhaled, it was shaky, but his body had stopped at least. "My father was stripped of his parental rights and went to prison for a few years. My mom married one of her coworkers who had helped us out a lot after that and had my two little brothers and we've all been Poindexters since. Money's been tight, but I'd rather be poor and safe than middle-class and dead."

"So, where's your father now? Do you have any contact with him?" Nursey asked quietly, trying to keep his voice calm.

"None. He was back in prison, last I heard. Attacked his girlfriend, I think..." Dex looked up finally and saw that Nursey was crying. "Derek-"

He could not hold back anymore, Nursey grabbed Dex into a tight hug and cried into his shoulder. "Will, I'm so sorry... Fuck my parents and their bullshit view of the world. You've gone through so much, it must have been terrifying." Nursey tried to compose himself, embarrassed that Dex was now rubbing his back to comfort _him_ , instead of the other way around. 

They stayed that way for a few minutes, bodies curled up and heads resting on each other's shoulders, listening to the other's breaths until they had both calmed into a relaxed rhythm. Dex spoke up first. "I know my mom and dad love me, but they are still pretty conservative. I'm not worried about any physical harm from them -- ever -- but I'm still scared about what they might think when I come out to them. I don't... I don't want to make my mom cry again ever. I hate the thought of admitting that my birth father was 'right' about me..." 

Nursey peppered his face with little kisses when Dex finally cried. " _Nothing_ about what he did was right," he said. Nursey brushed his tears away with his thumbs and held Dex's face still to ensure he looked him in the eye. "Babe, _**nothing**_  was right about that."

Dex let out a shaky sigh. "I know that _rationally_..."

"You never deserved that. _Nobody_ does."

"I was so scared to tell you. Only my family and a few old friends knew what happened. I was so worried you would think less of me."

"What? Never." Nursey kissed him gently to reassure him. "You've had to be so strong since you were so young. You're incredible. You amaze me." He stopped short of saying that he thought _more_ of Dex now, because it seemed inappropriate. 

A few tears streamed down Dex's cheeks once more and he hid his face in the crook of Nursey's neck.  It had been so long since he had talked about that chapter of his life, to anyone; it was hard to keep his emotions in check in that moment. 

He had spent so much energy since that day hiding the truth. Hiding the story from all of his junior high and high school friends, even his college friends, out of fear of judgement or ridicule. Hiding his own feelings out of fear that acknowledging he was gay would somehow validate what his birth father had done. So much time spent worrying, and yet here was Nursey -- holding him and kissing away his tears. He made Dex feel so loved -- happy and safe in a way he had not felt to the fullest extent in a long time, possibly his entire life. 

Dex was so tired of worrying and hiding, especially about something so important. _Someone_ so important. "I, uh... I want to tell my family that I'm gay. I don't want them to find out from watching a video. It's only a matter of time before someone points out the same thing to my parents that happened with your parents. My mom and dad have helped me so much... I want them to know the real me."

"If you want to come out to your parents, I'll help you any way I can." Nursey ran his hand up and down his boyfriend's back. "You don't have to tell them about me yet if that's too much to handle right now. I'll understand."

"I'm not hiding _you_. You're the reason I've come this far. I'd still be terrified to be myself if not for you. You've helped me so much already and it's only been three months."

"Bitty was the one who helped you, not me."

"Okay, that's true. He definitely helped me a lot -- but Bitty doesn't _love_  me -- you do. Bitty helped me _think_ I could be okay, but you helped me _know_  it." Dex lifted his head off Nursey's shoulder and kissed him. 

"Babe..."

"Derek, I..." Dex hesitated. He was pretty sure he loved Nursey, but once again that doubt crept into his mind. How was he supposed to know? How was Nursey so sure that he knew? Dex knew he loved his family, but that was a constant his entire life -- there was never a moment that it _started_ , he just _did_. If pressed in a simplified 'yes or no' way, Dex would have to answer that yes, he loved his friends, Nursey included -- as a friend. When Nursey said he loved him, it was more than that -- there was an extra weight to the words -- Dex knew he meant it in a deeper way, but he could not quite grasp how that was supposed to feel. He did not want to say those words until he was sure he meant it. 100% sure, like Nursey always told him. "I... I'm really happy you're in my life." _Those_ words he knew were true.

Nursey smiled, slow but bright. "Same, babe." He shifted them both so that they were lying on their sides in bed. He rested an arm over Dex's shoulder and brought his hand up to push back his short red hair from his forehead to see the scar again. "Does it bother you? When I touch or kiss you here? I'll stop, I promise."

Dex smiled back and gave his head a small shake against the pillow. "It's okay. I kinda like it. It's like, cathartic, I guess? In a way, at least. A violent memory being overwritten by something gentle... It's nice. Soothing."

Nursey moved closer and kissed gently over the scar. "I'm glad."

"Part of me loves the irony, too." The corner of his mouth twitched into a hint of a grin. "I bet he never expected that the scar he left would one day be my boyfriend's favourite spot to kiss. It's like the universe's way of giving him the finger for hurting me in the first place."

"Poetic justice."

"Yeah, something like that," Dex said with a smile. "Hey..."

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry that I ruined our anniversary with all this drama about when I was a kid."

"I'm sorry _I_ ruined it by being so grumpy at dinner. You definitely didn't ruin a thing. I'm happy that you told me about what happened, it means so much that you trusted me with this."

"Of course I trust you."

Nursey pulled him in closer. "You know I'll never hurt you, right?"

"I know."

"And ignore what my parents think. They don't know how incredible you are. They'll change their minds once they meet you, I'm sure of it."

"Am I? Meeting them?"

"Well, _eventually_. Maybe in the summer? Or next year? No rush, but... Someday."

Dex let out a small sigh. "And what if you're wrong? What if they still hate me after all of that?"

"That's impossible. Anyone who gets to know you is sure to love you. _I_  couldn't stand you when we first met and now look at me." With that, Nursey kissed a trail from Dex's forehead down the bridge of his nose and across his cheek to his jaw.

Dex laughed. "Oh god, stop you humongous dork!" He squirmed until he was able get his hands on either side Nursey's face and held him still. "Just kiss me like a normal person."

"Ooh. _That_ I can do..."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you did read my previous Dex fic "Lose Control", then you might have caught a hint about Dex's past already. When Nursey describes feeling ignored as a child, Dex asks if he is supposed to share details of his own messed up childhood (but hopes Nursey won't say yes). This is what he was thinking about.
> 
> Next chapter, Dex calls his Mom and (*step)Dad with some news!  
> (*note: he will hereby be referred to simply as his Dad, since he is)


	4. Chapter 4

Dex sat with his legs crossed on Nursey's bed, clutching his laptop to his chest. He had decided to make the skype call from Nursey's room for privacy since his roommate was home, but now he was stalling. "I got an 87 on that test by the way. I was worried we wouldn't get our marks back until after spring break, but we got them today." His test had been on Monday and it was now Friday of that same week, the start of their spring break.

"Great job, babe!" Nursey was sitting across from him and leaned forward to give him a kiss. "I knew you could do it."

"Thanks," Dex said with a smile. He set his laptop down on the bed, but did not open it, choosing instead to look up at Nursey while nervously chewing his bottom lip.

"You don't have to do this, you know. Not right now. Not if you aren't ready."

"No I want to..." Dex glanced down at the laptop. "I'm just nervous."

Nursey gave him a sympathetic smile and shifted so that he was now sitting beside the laptop, but would still be spared from the video stream. He rubbed his hand on Dex's thigh. "Do you want me to step out for a bit? I can give you privacy to tell your parents, I don't mind at all."

Dex shook his head and gave Nursey's hand a small squeeze. "No. I want you here. I mean, unless it would be awkward for you..."

"No way. I love you, Will. I want to be here for you," he insisted.

"Fuck, how are you this perfect? Shut up already," Dex said with a soft chuckle and gave Nursey a peck on the lips before opening his laptop. "Okay, here goes nothing... Do I look okay? Can you tell I'm a nervous wreck?" He asked as he waited for Skype to connect.

"You look perfect."

"I'm serious, Derek."

" _I'm_  serious too," Nursey said with a grin, delighting in the way his boyfriend's ears turned pink. He winked and flashed a silent thumbs up as Dex's parents appeared on the screen.

"Hi Willy! How was your day?"

"Good. I, uh, got an 87 on that test I was worried about about..."

"Wonderful!"

"I wanted to get over 90, but I'm happy I didn't fail."

His father let out a small laugh. "How many times have we told you that 70% isn't a failing grade. You would have been fine no matter what!"

"Thanks, dad. Um..." Dex chewed his lip again. "I have something to tell you guys..."

"Anything," his mom said with a smile.

"Okay, well, have you seen the video that my hockey team made with Jack Zimmermann?"

"Of course! You were wonderful, sweetheart. So handsome!"

Dex's ears turned fully red and his flush spread to his cheeks. He purposely avoided eye contact with Nursey, but noticed him nodding his head in agreement in his peripheral vision. Dex cleared his throat nervously and continued. "So, you know my school's reputation, then. How it has a lot of, um, LGBTQ students..."

"Yes, and?"

"So about what I need to tell you..." One look at the concerned expressions on his parents' faces and Dex lost his nerve. He began trembling as he tried to eek out his next words. "I'm..."

"William, what's wrong? You're scaring your mom," his father said, although he did not look as calm as his words suggested.

Dex took a deep breath and then all of his words spilled out along with his sudden tears. "I _am_  gay. I'm so sorry. He was right all along. I'm so sorry! Please don't hate me!"

Nursey snapped the laptop closed and immediately pulled Dex in for a hug. "It's okay. You're okay. Come here."

Dex squirmed half-heartedly in his arms. "I can't just _hang up_ on them like that-"

"You can call them back in a minute, just take a breather." Nursey kissed his forehead. "The hard part is over, okay? You told them. You're so brave, babe. You're okay. You're perfect, no matter what, okay?"

Dex nervously picked up his ringing cell phone. It was his mom, no surprise. He answered it, then promptly hit the button for the speakerphone, not confident in his ability to keep his grip while his hands still shook. "S-sorry. I guess we got disconnected..." He lied, but his voice was too unsteady to sound believable.

"William, did we hear you right? Did you just say you were gay?" The faint echo when his dad spoke told him that his parents had also put him on speakerphone so they could both speak.

"Yeah." Dex took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I know you're disappointed-"

His mom did not let him finish his sentence. "We've never been disappointed in you, Willy." 

"We're surprised, maybe, but not _disappointed_ ," his dad added.

Dex took another deep breath and exhaled slowly, daring to let his body relax just a little bit. Nursey gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as he struggled to regain his composure. "So you... You still love me?"

His mom let out a small whimper as though she was trying not to cry as well. " _Of course._  William, sweetheart, nothing in the world could _ever_ change that."

Nursey kissed his shoulder. "See? It's okay. I'm so proud of you," he whispered.

"Is someone there with you?" Dex's mom asked.

"Yeah, um... My boyfriend..."

"You have a boyfriend?"

Dex gulped. "Yeah. Sorry, I know it's a lot to unload on you guys all at once... But, he's someone on my team, and... He's wonderful," Dex said with a smile at his boyfriend. Nursey grinned so bright that he covered his mouth with his free hand, while his other squeezed Dex's hand even tighter.

"Does this young man have a name?"

"Nurs- Derek. Derek Nurse."

"Isn't that the boy you always complain about?" His mom asked, and Nursey could not help bursting into laughter.

Dex smacked his leg. " _Used to_ complain about," he clarified to his cackling boyfriend. "I haven't complained about you in months, quiet." He cleared his throat, remembering that his parents were still on the line. "We, um, get along better now..."

" _Apparently,_ " his dad replied.

"So... What do you think?"

"Well we want you to be happy, son."

"I am, dad. I promise."

"And times are changing, I guess..."

"How long have you had a boyfriend that you're deciding to tell us now?" His mother asked.

"Three months, a little over that. Since December."

" _December?_ When in December?"

Dex bit his lip. "Oh, uh, like, a week before Christmas break?"

His mother let out a soft scoff. "You didn't think to tell us _then?_ Who else knows? Did you tell Lizzy?"

"No, just the guys on the team. And it was really new in December, to me even, so I didn't want to tell anyone yet..."

There was silence on the other end of the line while his parents processed the information. His dad spoke first. "But your team, they're not giving you a hard time?"

Dex shook his head automatically, before quickly remembering they were no longer on skype. "No, not at all. I mean, aside from the usual chirping-- uh, that's like teasing, but they mean it in a playful way, I promise. They've all been really supportive, especially Bitty -- um, Eric Bittle, from the video. He's dating Jack Zimmermann -- he was a really big help to me. And our captains too, and Chow and his girlfriend, they've all been great."

"So..." His dad spoke again. "Is _this_ why you didn't want us to visit for family weekend this year?"

"No, it's just... The gas and the hotel room and everything, you didn't have to waste money on that for the weekend, and then to get Annie or John to watch the boys or bring them along and need a second room, it was all too much. I was going to see you at Christmas and at the time I thought I could save enough to get home for thanksgiving, but..."

"We would've paid to-"

"No, mom. It's fine. I can pay my own way for things, you don't have to- I just-" he sighed. Dex took the call off speaker phone with an uncomfortable look over at Nursey. His bright red ears once again quickly betrayed his embarrassment. "Can we not talk about this right now?"

Nursey inched away on the bed and pretended to be preoccupied with picking at the fuzz of his fleece throw blanket. When that took too long, he grabbed his phone and texted Chowder, pretending their friend had texted first. Dex talked to his parents for a few more minutes before Nursey allowed himself to pay attention again.

"I don't- can I get back to you on that? I should probably talk about it, first. Yeah," Dex was fidgeting as the conversation neared its end. "Okay, thanks. I love you too. Thank you for not- yeah, I _know_ , but still... Okay, I will. Love you. Bye." Dex let out a long sigh after he hung up and turned to Nursey. He looked exhausted, but he smiled.

"Everything okay, babe?"

"I think I just shaved three years off of my life from the stress, but yeah. Maybe. They took it better than I thought they would..."

"That's great!" Nursey crawled back over to him on the bed and threw his weight into forcing Dex down with him. 

Dex laughed at the way Nursey wrapped his legs and arms around him. "You're like a koala on a eucalyptus tree!"

Nursey nuzzled his neck. "I'm so proud of you, Will. You're so brave and strong and handsome and sexy and I love you so much and-"

"Wait, Derek..." Dex grabbed him by the shoulders and gently pulled him away. "There's something I have to talk to you about..."

"What's wrong?" Nursey wished now that he had listened a little closer when Dex had taken the call off speakerphone.

"My parents, they um... They want to meet you."

"Oh? Okay. That's chill. I want to meet them too. Maybe in the summer I could drive-"

"No, like, _now_. This week. During spring break..."

" _Oh,_ " Nursey said more quietly. "Okay, well... How do _you_  feel about that?"

"Nervous," Dex admitted. "But I think it could help? Maybe if they see how great you are and how happy you make me, it would help them grasp the situation a little more? If you're uncomfortable, we don't have to. I can tell them to wait until summer or something instead."

Nursey paused to take it all in. "Okay. If _you're_ comfortable with me meeting your parents now, then I'm in."

"Are _you_  comfortable with that?" Dex asked him.

"I... Yeah. I'm a little nervous, but it will be okay, right? Your parents seem pretty chill, and if you think it will help, I mean, to show them _how happy I make you_..." Nursey snuggled in closer. "We didn't have much planned for spring break, anyway. Just hanging out around campus. We can go to Maine for break."

"It would only be for a couple days. I don't want to spend the whole week there or anything." Dex ran his hand through Nursey's soft curly hair. "I want to have lots of alone time with you this week, too."

"Yeah?"

"Mmhmm," Dex hummed against his boyfriend's lips. His hands tugged at the bottom of Nursey's sweater and slid underneath. "Derek..."

"Ah! Babe, wait." Nursey gripped his wrists lightly and pulled his hands away, linking their fingers together instead. "I think we should wait a little longer."

Dex sighed impatiently. "Why? You said when I was ready, and I _am_. You're not?"

"What happens if your family hates me?"

"What? Nursey, that's ridiculous."

"I'm serious. Look, I'm not saying that they will, but hypothetically... Would you stay with me if they hated me?"

"It doesn't matter because they won't-"

"Will. Answer me. Could you date someone your family didn't approve of?"

" _ **My**_  parents aren't the ones we have to worry about disapproving. Is that what this is about? Your parents are never going to be satisfied with someone like me so you're looking for an excuse or something?" Dex tried to shake his hands free but Nursey kept his grip. He could not believe Nursey's timing. "You couldn't have brought this up _before_  I came out to my conservative parents? What are you trying to say, Nurse?"

"No, babe, no. Shit, I'm messing this up again," Nursey said frantically, refusing to let go of his boyfriend's hands. "Listen. I don't give a shit what my parents think. If I did, I wouldn't have come to Samwell in the first place. And let's face it, if my parents were _that_ concerned about the opinions of family members I would never have been born. So, even if they meet you and somehow _don't_ completely adore you immediately, it doesn't matter. They'll have to accept it or disown me, and it won't make a particularly big difference to me either way."

Dex frowned. "How can you say that?"

"Because it's _true_. That's my point, though -- you _care_ what your family thinks -- and _of course_ you would! Your family loves you and sticks together and supports you no matter what. If my family was anything close to yours I would care too... But they aren't, they just _aren't_." Nursey brought one of Dex's hands up and kissed it. "I didn't want to bring this up so soon, but if they want to meet me _now,_ then I want to be prepared for what next week might be like..."

Dex sighed heavily. "Okay, you're right. I probably couldn't stay with someone my parents didn't like. _Probably_... But give it some time first, okay? I don't know what they're going to think when they meet you, but it's going to be more about adjusting to me having a _boyfriend_ than about you specifically. So... Even if they somehow don't adore you immediately... don't give up so easily." Dex mirrored Nursey's words from earlier.

"Do you love me?"

"...I don't know. _Yet_. I don't know yet," Dex brushed his thumbs over Nursey's as their hands remained clasped together. "I wish I had a definitive answer for you, I do. How do you know?"

Nursey chuckled and kissed him gently. "I don't know _how_ I know... I just _know_. I have for a while, I can't even tell you when it started."

"Does it bother you that I haven't said it back yet?"

"It's okay to take your time. I'd rather you do that than say it before you're sure you mean it. And-" Nursey stopped himself.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing. Never mind."

" _Derek_..." Dex prodded but his boyfriend shook his head. "I'm worried you're going to get bored of me."

"Where is this coming from?"

"It's not new. I've been worried about that since the start, you know that. You have more experience with well, _everything_ , so-"

"-I don't want to have sex until I know you love me!" Nursey finally blurted out.

Dex blinked. "What? Why didn't you just say that?"

"Because I didn't want you to say it for the hell of it sometime just 'cuz you're horny and sick of being a virgin."

Dex scoffed. "I wouldn't do that. I- I wouldn't _lie_ to you, Nurse."

Nursey let go and covered his face with one hand. "I know that, like, _deep down_... But you worry about pointless things like me getting bored with you? Well, I worry about pointless things like this -- like you're secretly like everyone else who just wants to use me for my looks."

"So you're _testing_ me?" Dex was not sure if he should be insulted or not. Part of him felt bad for Nursey, but the other part of him was a bit offended by the implication. "You don't trust me? I... I told you my deepest darkest secret. I have friends that I've known for almost a _decade_ that still have absolutely no clue about my childhood... I've never trusted anyone outside of my family _more_..."

"It's not that I don't trust you..." Nursey sighed. "I know I'm going to sound like a hypocrite or something here, but sex isn't that special. It's just a thing that people do for fun. It's not life-altering like movies may lead you to believe. In fact, it's never really meant much to me at all, because I've never meant anything to the other person... But maybe that's why I want it to _this_ time. It's stupid, I know."

"It's not _stupid_..." Dex softened the frown that had been on his face. "Okay. So we wait," he whispered and brushed his fingers lightly over the whiskers of Nursey's five o'clock shadow. "You're important to me, you know that right? _So_ important..."

Nursey smiled in response, unable to find the right words to say. He turned his head and kissed the palm of Dex's hand instead. "Incredible."

"What is?"

"You."

"Oh god. Stop saying such embarrassing things..." Dex teased him with a grin. "Can I stay here tonight?"

"Of course, babe."

"I'll call my parents in the morning and tell them we're coming for a visit. Maybe try for Saturday to Monday? You sure you're okay with that?"

"Yeah," Nursey said as he nodded his head. "It'll be fine, right?"

"They're going to love you, I'm sure. Besides, we're not going to spend the entire time with them. I can show you around town and stuff too."

"That might be fun. I'd like to see where you grew up."

"Me too. Maybe you can show me around New York sometime."

"That would be nice. We could go there for a couple of days afterwards, if you want. My parents are in London right now, we wouldn't even have to deal with them."

Dex smiled and wrapped his arms around Nursey, pulling him in tight. "Let's see how the next couple of days go, first. I still want to have some quiet days here with you at Samwell."

"You know where else we could have a few quiet days together? In my parents' house in New York. In the hot tub on their rooftop patio..."

"Okay, well if you're going to twist my arm like that." Dex chuckled. "Sounds like a plan."

"Great."

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter today. I had intended the Maine trip to take up only one chapter, but it looks like this will be a two-parter.

"Wait... What?" Nursey gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. His eyes darted nervously to Dex in the passenger seat and then back to the road.

"Well, my older siblings are both married and out of the house, but they still live in town so I can't come home and not see them. And my younger siblings are still living in the house, obviously." Dex raised one eyebrow. "I mean... You remember that I have siblings, right?" He chuckled.

"Uh, well, honestly? No. I kinda forgot. Or like, forgot that I would see anyone besides your parents this weekend."

"I'm sure it will be fine. If anyone has a problem with me having a boyfriend they just won't come around..." Dex drummed his fingers on the dashboard.

"Dex..."

"Thanks for driving, by the way."

"Dex..."

"I know we could've taken the bus, but having a car will be so much faster. I can pay for the gas when we stop-"

"Will!" Nursey shouted to get his attention.

"What?"

"You're doing that nervous thing with your fingers. What's wrong? Are you afraid they won't like me?"

Dex sighed. "No. Well... More like they won't like me anymore now that the know. I know everybody will need time to adjust to the news, like, I get that, but... I don't really know what I'll do if we show up and nobody can look me in the eye."

"Your family loves you, Will. Even if they're not 100% on board at first..." Nursey let his sentence trail off.

"I know they _love_ me, but you can still love someone and not necessarily _like_  them..."

His parents instantly came to mind, and Nursey gave a small chuckle. "Touché." He reached across to cover Dex's hand on the dashboard, stilling his anxious fingers. "It's gonna be okay, babe."

Dex turned his hand to link his fingers with Nursey, bringing it briefly to his lips to kiss the back of his boyfriend's hand before resting their hands on the console between their seats. He smiled when he saw the giddy grin creep up on Nursey's lips. "You're easy to please," Dex teased.

"Only with you."

"Pfft!" Dex shook his head and turned to look out the window with a happy sigh. "Want to switch at the next gas station? It'll probably be easier if I'm driving when we get into town, we're only half an hour out or so now."

"Sure," Nursey said with a small smile.

They pulled into a gas station off the highway ten minutes later. Dex got out of the car to stretch his legs and laughed when he saw Nursey hesitate by the pump. "Oh god, you've never pumped your own gas before, have you?"

"Uhhh... Well, I've _seen_ people do it before."

Dex scoffed at him playfully and took over. "What am I going to do with you?"

"You can do anything you want to me," Nursey whispered close in his ear, making Dex shudder involuntarily.

" _Almost_  anything," Dex corrected him and they both chuckled.

"I'll go pay inside. Want anything?"

"A root beer, if they have it."

Nursey nudged his shoulder playfully as he walked into the station's convenience store. Dex finished filling up, then pulled the car around to the side to park so he could use the washroom. He was surprised that Nursey was not outside when he returned. He entered the convenience store to find Nursey at the cashier. "Nurse? I thought you'd be done by now."

"Just a little _misunderstanding_. It's done now," Nursey said as he slapped cash down on the counter. He handed Dex his bottle of root beer and took his diet Coke from the counter. "Come on, let's go."

"Is something wrong?" Dex glanced quizzically at the scowling clerk and Nursey dragged him by the arm out of the store.

"Don't worry about it, it's done."

Dex frowned at his tight-lipped boyfriend and sat down in the driver's seat. " _Okay_..."

Nursey sighed and filled the awkward silence by taking a sip of his drink. "We should go."

"Can we change the music? I don't really want to show up at my parents' house listening to show tunes. I think bringing my boyfriend is enough to prove the 'I'm gay' point," Dex teased.

"The Hamilton soundtrack isn't-"

"Is it a Broadway musical? Yeah, point made."

Nursey scoffed. "Fine. Whatever. Can we please get the hell out of here now?"

"I'm just teasing, you don't have to get so offended. I like the songs, but it's a little much right now," Dex tried to explain as he pulled out of the parking spot and headed back to I-95.

Nursey switched to a playlist of Linkin Park as they drove. "So... What did your parents say when you showed them my picture?"

"What? Why would I do that?" Dex chuckled with a glance over at Nursey. His grin faded when he saw the other man's concern. "Why would I do that?" He repeated.

"Is that really a good idea? They've never met me before. We weren't really close during family weekend last year, and they didn't come this year..."

"So?"

"So I'm probably not what they're expecting..."

Dex glanced over at him and then back at the road. "What do you _think_ they're expecting?"

"Some blond, blue-eyed guy. I didn't want to 'Guess Who's Coming to Dinner' your family. I assumed you would have told them..."

"My family isn't _racist_ , Nurse. What the fuck?"

"I'm not saying that-"

"It sure as hell _sounds_ like you're saying it."

Nursey huffed. "You don't get it."

"No. I don't. They're conservative, not assholes. Believe it or not, but not all republicans are racist homophobes." Dex scoffed. 

"Well, I went to school with a lot of assholes. Assholes who liked to tell me that I only got in because I had a 'white name'. Assholes who, when I asked what part of 'Malik' sounded white to them, decided to shift their argument to I 'only got in to keep their diversity numbers up' instead. Assholes like that guy in the gas station..."

"Okay, what happened in there? You have to tell me now."

"He wouldn't accept my credit card."

"Why is-"

"Because he thought I _stole_ it, Will. He stared at my fucking signature for a full minute and asked me for _three_ pieces of ID."

"That's... excessive."

"For twenty bucks of gas and two drinks? Yeah, I think so," Nursey said sarcastically. "Whatever. It wasn't worth arguing over longer. Dickhead probably would have called the cops on me if I had pushed it any more."

"Why didn't you tell me? I would've-"

"Slugged the guy, probably. Hence, why I didn't tell you," Nursey shook his head with a bitter laugh. "Look, I'll get over it. I didn't mean to assume anything about your family, I'm sorry. I'm just irked about that clerk."

"I get that." Dex grabbed his hand and kissed it again like he had earlier. "I'm sorry that happened, Derek. And I'm sorry I didn't realize it was happening."

"It's not like it's your fault."

"I know, but still. You're my boyfriend, of course it's going to bother me when people treat you badly. Promise me you'll let me punch the next guy that starts shit with you."

Nursey gave his hand a squeeze and laughed. "William Poindexter, my knight in shining armour."

They drove with only the music for a few minutes until Dex spoke again. "For what it's worth, I guarantee you my parents rewatched that video to see if you were in it. They definitely know what you look like already. It's going to be okay."

"Okay."

******

"A couple quick things," Dex started as he pulled into his parents' driveway. "It's probably better if you just call me 'Will' this weekend."

"You got it, babe."

"Derek."

"I'm kidding!" Nursey laughed. "Okay, what else?"

"Uh, well, any physical affection is probably better left until we're alone again, too. That's including if we're off in town away from my family. I don't really know what to do about bumping into high school friends or extended family..."

"I understand. Anything else?"

"Probably, but for now, _this_." Dex leaned across and kissed him longingly. "I don't know how many chances we're going to get."

Nursey grinned. "Maybe once more for luck?"

"Definitely." They were both smiling when they pulled back from their second kiss, and Dex touched their foreheads together, one hand still cupping Nursey's jaw. "Be yourself, they're gonna love you."

"I love you."

Dex gave him one final peck on the lips before getting out of the car and grabbing their bags from the trunk. "Shall we?" Nursey protested when he grabbed both bags. "You can grab our drinks from the cup holders."

"Pfft! At least give me the smaller bag. I can't look like a total weakling when your dad opens the door."

"Maybe I'm trying to show off for you."

Nursey caught one of the handles as they reached the top of the stairs and hooked his arm through, refusing to let go, so Dex gave in. "Well, I do love admiring your muscles, but _unfortunately_ I can't see them through that coat."

"My mistake. I'll make sure all heavy lifting will be done in a T-shirt from here on out," Dex said with a grin.

"Well, I should _hope_ so." 

"Shut up, Nurse." Dex laughed as he opened the door. "Hello! We're here!" He called out to the house in general and his parents came around the corner from the kitchen.

"Willy, my beautiful boy!" His mom gave him a big kiss and wrapped him in a tight hug, holding on a little longer than usual. 

Nursey held back a snicker at hearing the name 'Willy' and made a mental note to chirp Dex about it later. Instead he smiled nervously at his boyfriend's dad. "Hello, sir." His voice squeaked out, much to his own horror.

Dex laughed as he was freed from his mom's grasp. "What was _that?_ "

Nursey cleared his throat. "I have no idea."

Dex laughed again and gave his dad a much quicker hug. "Um, so, these are my parents. Mom, dad, this is Derek Nurse," he introduced them. His younger sister came out of the living room and stared wide-eyed at them for a moment, then offered a quick hello before she sprinted upstairs. "Um, and that was my sister Liz -- _Elizabeth_ \-- but, uh... I don't know what that was about."

"I can meet her later, I guess," Nursey said with a nervous chuckle. He turned back and extended a hand towards Dex's dad.

His dad shook it with a strong grip. "Nice to meet you, Derek."

"We're happy you could come," Dex's mom offered him a smile and a much gentler handshake.

Dex was still looking curiously at the now empty stairwell. "Did she go to get the boys?"

"They're out right now, but they'll be home soon for dinner," his mom explained as she ushered them  out of the doorway.

"Um, I guess we'll drop our stuff off in my room and then I'll give you the ten cent tour of the rest of the house," Dex said and flashed Nursey a reassuring smile. "Sound good to you?"

"Hm? Yeah, sure." Nursey followed Dex closely and exhaled heavily when they reached the basement. "Oh god. Did that go okay? I just made an ass of myself, didn't I? Why was my voice so squeaky???"

Dex laughed. "I can't help you, there. No clue what that was about. I think they'll forgive you just this once..."

"They seem nice, at least. And your sister seems..."

"Weird. I don't know what that's about either. I'll talk to her when we get upstairs." They set their bags down on top of Dex's bed. "So this is my room..." He held both of Nursey's hands and gave him a quick kiss. "If we stay in here too long they'll get suspicious. Follow me." He let their hands drop and he led the way to the main basement space, briefly pointing out the bathroom and laundry room. "Couches, TV, basic basement stuff."

Nursey chuckled and followed him up to the main floor, and then immediately to the second floor. "Um, main floor?"

"We'll end there. Don't tell me you're winded walking up three floors?" Dex teased. 

"I live on the third floor at school, remember? Just wait 'til we get to New York, Poindexter. I'll make you walk up to the _fifth_ floor."

"Fine by me, gotta get our workouts in somehow this week. Bet you'll be more tired at me by the end of that trek."

"I'll take the elevator. We'll race."

"Yeah, sure, _whatever_  Nurse." Dex laughed as they reached the top of the stairs. "Okay, so, bathroom obviously. On the left is my parents' bedroom, and over here to the right is my brothers' room. They're twins, Andrew and Joseph, and they're only 12, so they still share a room. Joey usually takes over my room while I'm gone for school or on the boat, so I'm sure he's not _entirely_  thrilled that I'm home on this random weekend. And next door is Liz's room. Lizzy?" He asked as he knocked.

The door flung open suddenly and Nursey jumped when a blonde blur shot out and wrapped itself around Dex. "Will!"

"Hey, what was with that run-by earlier? I thought you didn't want to see me." Dex asked as he hugged her back.

"Sorry, I..." Liz peered around her brother's shoulder at Nursey and her face promptly turned bright red. "H-hello..." She stepped closer and gave him what could only be described as an incredibly awkward hug. 

Nursey exchanged confused looks with his boyfriend over her shoulder. "I- uh, nice to meet you."

"Okay, so... That's Liz. Lizzy, that's Derek Nurse and you can stop hugging him any day now."

She jumped back. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. That was weird."

Nursey laughed to dismiss it but Dex was not letting his baby sister off that easily. "Yeah, Lizzy. Super weird."

"It's okay, really," Nursey tried to ease her mind, the girl seemed completely thrown by the circumstances. He could not really blame her, it was not every day that a high school girl's brother brings his boyfriend home from college. Especially since this had been such a sudden visit -- Dex had only confirmed that morning that they would be coming.

"On with the tour," Dex said and tugged his boyfriend's sleeve as he walked back towards the staircase. "I think she might have a crush on you," he whispered once his sister was back in her room and they reached the main floor.

"I doubt _that_..." Nursey laughed uneasily.

"She has pretty good taste in men, I gotta admit." Dex winked at him. 

" _Babe~!_ "

Dex shushed him for using the pet name and showed him through the living room to the dining room and into the kitchen where his parents were talking quietly over coffee. Dinner was already cooking in the oven. "Smells good, mom."

"Thanks, Willy. All that's left to do is boil the corn and mash the potatoes and then everything else in the oven should be ready by 6:00."

Dex snooped through the kitchen while Nursey hung back by the doorway. "What else are you making?" He crouched down in front of the oven and peered inside.

"Green bean casserole, honey dill carrots, salad, and the main course is ham."

"Oh shit," Dex said as he turned to Nursey. "I completely forgot to tell them."

Nursey wanted to melt into the doorframe when his boyfriend's parents both looked at him expectantly. "I'm a vegetarian. It's fine though, everything sounds great."

"Sorry, I should have told them."

"It's fine, really. Menus don't have to be planned around me or changed on my account."

"You used to eat meat, though. Right?" Dex asked. "I don't want to get into another plum sauce debate or anything, but..."

"Uh, yeah. In my rebellious teenaged years. Mostly just chicken, sometimes beef. Never pork though, 'cuz you know..." Nursey glanced around between the three other people in the room before settling on Dex. "So, the bathroom is just upstairs or that one in the basement?"

"Oh, no, there's one on this floor too. To your left next to the basement door," Dex's mom instructed. She waited until the door closed behind Nursey to turn to her son. "Should I make something else?" She asked Dex as she started to mash the potatoes.

"He's fine, mom. He's used to working with what he's got at restaurants and things. If you try to make him something special he'll just be more embarrassed," Dex explained. "I wasn't even thinking about that."

"A _vegetarian_ , William?" His dad asked.

"Yeah, I know, but it's not that big a deal."

"Are you going to become a vegetarian now too?"

Dex laughed. "What? No. It actually works out great this way because he never steals food off my plate when we go to restaurants. I got chicken carbonara the other day and even if he got brave to pick around the chicken, he wasn't going to risk the bacon."

"And the restaurant -- it was a date?"

"Huh? Yeah, we go on dates. That's normal, isn't it?" Dex looked from one parent to the next. "Did you guys think I made it up? I told you I had a boyfriend... You _asked me_ to bring him here to meet him..."

"Have you-" His dad was interupted by the doorbell.

Dex sighed. "I'll get it." He opened the front door to find his very pregnant older sister, Anne, and her husband. "Annie!" His frown melted as she gave him a big hug.

Her husband, Colin, patted Dex on the shoulder as he walked past towards the kitchen. "We brought a blueberry cheesecake for dessert. You like blueberries, right Willy?"

"I told you that already, Colin!" Anne called after him. "So Will, about this sudden visit..."

Dex heard the bathroom door open at that moment and called out to his boyfriend. "Derek! Come meet my other sister!"

Nursey rounded the corner with a glance over his shoulder towards the kitchen where he heard a new voice talking to Dex's parents. He smiled at Anne before his eyes fell to her large belly. He forced them back up to her face. "Hi, I'm Derek Nurse."

"Hellooo Nurse! You can call me Anne, or Annie." She smiled and brushed some of her long red hair back behind her ear. "I'm good with both. And yeah, I'm roughly the size of a refrigerator right now. Twins. One month to go. I hope you forgive me if I go sit down now." She laughed.

"Of course. Do you need a hand?" Nursey offered. 

"Ooh, what a gentleman!" Anne took his arm with a wink at her brother as Nursey walked her to the dining room.

Nursey returned to Dex just as the front door opened again and two boys tumbled in arguing something unknown to the young men. "Aha! These are my little brothers -- Andrew has the red hair, Joey's the brunet -- if you're having trouble remembering who's who."

"Oh god, am I supposed to remember names?" Nursey joked.

Dex gave his brothers quick hugs. "Guys, say hi to Derek and then get changed into clean clothes before mom sees you for the love of God. And tell Lizzy that everyone's arriving. I hope to hell that's mud!" He called after them as they ascended the stairs.

"Hah!"

"What?" Dex eyed Nursey suspiciously.

Nursey grinned. "I don't think I've ever seen you with kids before. You're like a little nagging mom."

"Yeah, well, who do you think was the primary babysitter around here? My older siblings actually had dates and stuff to do. Outside of hockey season, yours truly had to-" Dex stopped when Nursey gave him a quick peck on the cheek. " _Nursey_..."

"Sorry, you're too adorable. I couldn't resist." 

"What did I say in the car?"

Nursey crossed his arms and shrugged. "Nobody _saw_... And I don't think anyone heard either."

"You're hopeless," Dex shook his head and chuckled. They did not keep their privacy much longer, as his younger siblings came downstairs and his older brother and wife and their baby all arrived within minutes.

Nursey was not even sure there was enough time to breathe before he found himself sitting down at the table surrounded by Poindexters. He politely declined the ham every time it came around before Dex finally spoke up and explained he was vegetarian. Nursey really did not expect that to be the part of his life that got the most scrutiny. "I'm actually the most varied eater in my family. My mom's a vegan. My dad eats meat occasionally, but he keeps halal. Most of the time he ends up eating vegan food like my mom, since they're always together outside of work."

Dex's sister in law, Colette, broke the silence. "Fascinating. Is that hard for them to maintain?"

"Well, they live in New York, so you can find basically anything there. Maybe if they lived somewhere else."

"Like here?" The rest of the table laughed.

"So, Derek. Did _your_  parents visit for family weekend this year?" Dex's dad asked.

Nursey covered his mouth as he finished chewing. "No. They've never been to Samwell."

Dex's mom gave a small frown. "What about your first year? Not even to drop you off for your first day on campus?"

Nursey shook his head. "They're always to busy to worry about stuff like that."

"They don't want to know what your school's like? I made my parents take pictures when they dropped off Will," his oldest brother, John, said.

"Ah, my family's not really like that. They don't really do the whole hugs and support thing. They drove me my first year at Andover, though. That was nice." Nursey shrugged and took another bite of corn. 

Dex frowned. "You mean when you were _fourteen?_ I would hope so. What about the other years?"

"Too busy. Those didn't matter though, I already knew where I was going. They still came to alumni things if they weren't too busy."

"Hm."

"What do your parents do, Derek?"

"My dad's a neurosurgeon and my mom's the CEO of a pharmaceutical company."

Someone's fork clattered to their plate, but they picked it up before Dex saw who it belonged to. He had never heard about Nursey's mother's career before. "CEO? Which company?"

"Oh, you know, the _big_ one... It's not that impressive. Family business and all, gotta love that nepotism. _Especially when your racist grandfather is involved,_ " he added under his breath.

"Hm." Dex frowned again. Talking about his family always ruined Nursey's mood, and Dex could not really blame it. It ruined his mood too.

"Well that certainly would keep them both busy," Dex's mother said with a smile. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Nope, just me."

Anne laughed. "It must be quiet in your house. I wonder what _that_ feels like." She looked around at the very crowded table.

Nursey forced a chuckle. "Yeah, a little too quiet sometimes. I listen to a lot of music."

"So Derek, do you have a girlfriend?" Colette asked.

Anne gave her a light smack on the arm. "Don't ask him _that_. He probably has too many to mention, the charmer." She winked playfully at him across the table.

Dex and Nursey looked at each other in shock, Nursey suddenly fighting the urge to get sick as his stomach twisted into a knot. Dex turned to his parents for an explanation. " _Mom?_ "

"How was I supposed to tell them? I thought you would. Isn't that why you agreed to come home this weekend?"

"What's going on here? Willy?" Colin asked.

Dex took a deep breath. "I, uh, I thought mom and dad told you guys already... Derek's my boyfriend."

John burst out laughing. "Oh god, that's hilarious! When did you get so good at this?"

"What?"

"Is this because of the Zimmermann thing? You're totally messing with us!" John's laughter died down when the rest of the table grew as quiet as the grave, except for a few coos from the baby. His wife patted his arm and shook her head. "Will, come on, it's a joke right?"

The rest of the adults remained quiet, averting their eyes from extended contact with anyone else. Liz breathed a loud sigh of relief. "Oh thank god, so mom and dad already knew?"

" _You_  knew, Lizzy?" Their mom asked.

"I saw them kissing in the car when they arrived; I was watching from the living room window. I was totally freaking out, I thought I had uncovered some huge secret!"

"Wait, so it's _**actually**_ true?!" John stared at his brother.

Dex tensed up, but forced himself to speak. "Yeah. I thought mom had told everyone when they extended the dinner invitation..." 

Joseph got up from the table, ignoring his parents scolding him to stay. Dex insisted that it was okay, he did not want his little brothers to be a part of this conversation anyway -- he did not know what turn it was about to take. Andrew also left the room, but while saying something about checking on his twin. 

"I told them that you had an announcement, but I didn't specify," his mom explained.

Colin sipped his drink and cleared his throat. "I'm confused. I thought he was on your hockey team."

"I am," Nursey replied. "That's how we met. We're both defensemen, we play together all the time."

"Jesus, Will. How many gay guys are your team? First Zimmermann, then his boyfriend, and now you guys?"

Nursey wanted to object to the blanket term 'gay' being used, but thought it better to bite his tongue. Dex answered instead, "Uh, like five? Six if you count last year with Jack, but we had no idea at the time."

"Are you counting Ollie and Wicks?"

"Why? Are they a thing? I had no idea. Okay, so eight, I guess."

"And even if you don't count Jack, I'm pretty sure Whiskey's got something going on with one of the LAX bros," Nursey added.

"So that's like, a third of your team?" John scoffed. "What's with that school that it turns everyone gay?"

"It didn't _turn_  me gay, I always have been. I just never told anybody," Dex snapped at his older brother.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner? Is it because of-"

Dex cut him off. "Yeah, that's one reason. The other reason is because of reactions like this. I've put myself through enough hell over the years can't you give me a break and let me be happy for once?"

"Who said I didn't want you to be happy? Of course I do, but you can't just show up out of the blue with a _boyfriend_ and expect everything to be fine, Will. You couldn't have given some warning before you sprung this on us in the middle of dinner?"

"I didn't think I _was_  springing it on you. I thought everyone already knew and you were here to be supportive, not crack jokes about my school, my hockey team, or my friends."

"Will, hey..." Nursey put his hand on his boyfriend's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze, hoping to calm him. This night was not going as planned. "It's okay."

"It's _not_  okay, Derek. That's the point. It was stupid of me to think for one second that this would go over well." Dex stared his brother down across the table. "You gonna slug me, _junior?_ "

"Fuck off. How dare-"

"Boys! Enough!" Their dad stepped in before the situation escalated any further. "There isn't a problem here. You're brothers. You love each other, so act like it."

John looked around the table at the rest of his family. "What, so I'm the asshole for being shocked? Everyone else is fine with this?"

"Its certainly not worth picking a _fight_ about." Anne frowned at him.

"I think it's nice," Liz added quietly. 

John pushed back his chair and stood. "Maybe I should go then. If I'm ruining everyone's good time..." He picked the baby up out of the high chair and left the room. 

"John!" Their mom followed in attempt to sway him.

Colette stood from the table as well. "I'm really sorry about this, Will. Derek, you seem like a lovely young man." She glanced over at the doorway towards the living room where John and his mother had gone. "I'll talk to John, okay? He needs to process everything, you know how he gets."

Dex hung his head and covered his eyes. "Maybe we should just go back to Samwell..."

"Don't. I'll talk some sense into him, I swear." Colette left with another apologetic look at the family.

Dex looked up again at the remaining half of his family around the table and sighed to temporarily block out the sound of quiet arguing by the front door. "I- I wasn't trying to cause a scene..." He choked on his words. "I'm sorry..."

"You don't have to apologize, Willy." Colin cautiously continued his meal.

"Yeah, you don't have anything to be sorry for. Well, the 'junior' comment was a little ' _ugh_ ' but aside from _that_..." Anne added to her husband's statement. "You know John would never hit you. Their similarities end at his name."

Dex's mom re-entered the dining room. "John and Colette went home. Let's finish eating before our food gets any colder. If the boys don't want to come downstairs so be it." She gave Dex a kiss on his head as she passed his seat.

Dex took another bite of his food, but he had lost his appetite. Nursey struggled to politely clear his plate, but he too had lost his appetite. It seemed as though most of the table had as well. Anne did her best to keep the conversation flowing through out the rest of dinner but the two young men were thankful when it was over. Andrew had returned partway through, but did not say much either as he ate, looking over occasionally at the doorway as if expecting his twin brother to return as well. Joseph stayed upstairs. Nursey helped Dex and Liz with the dishes while their parents went upstairs to have a talk with their youngest sons.

"This was a huge mistake. I'm sorry I made you come here," Dex said quietly as he placed a plate on the drying rack.

Nursey took it and placed a quick kiss on his shoulder while Liz was distracted with putting some dishes back in the cupboard. "You didn't _make_  me come here, first of all. So dinner got a little tense, so what? I'm sure it will work out, eventually."

"I thought my mom would have told everybody beforehand for sure. I get why she didn't, and I guess I should have discussed that with her when I called this morning instead of just assuming. Shit, I was so happy when John walked through that door..."

"I know, babe. I know." Nursey set down the plate and his drying towel and rubbed Dex's back.

Liz came up from the other side and hugged her brother and Dex cracked a small smile. "Thanks, Lizzy." His sisters, brother in law, and sister in law and even Andrew seemed supportive at least for the time being. Dex hoped his other brothers would come around soon. Liz returned to putting away the dishes that Nursey had dried so far and Dex turned to his boyfriend. "All that tiptoeing around so that we wouldn't make anyone uncomfortable, and for what? Maybe I should have been holding your hand all day long, then there wouldn't have been that blowup at dinner. I'm so embarrassed."

" _John's_  the one who should be embarrassed," Liz piped up again. "He's all 'act first, think later' all the time. It's annoying. I didn't know that you thought we knew already. I could've given the heads up instead of mom."

"Well, the next time I have a big secret to reveal, you'll definitely be the first to know," Dex said as he finished washing the last dish and picked up a towel to help Nursey dry. 

Liz smiled at her brother and turned to Nursey. "Sorry our family is crazy."

Nursey laughed and the siblings gave him curious looks. "I'll take this kind of family over my own any day. You haven't seen tension until you've sat through an evening with the Powells and Nurses all in the same room." He laughed it off again and leaned against Dex. "This is gonna be okay. I bet we're all going to look back on tonight one day and laugh. Think of it as just one more first off the list."

"First awkward family dinner?" Dex gave his shoulder a small nudge and smiled. Nursey always found some way to calm him.

"Exactly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> John is going to feel like a total ass in the morning, I assure you. In his defense, he's thinking more along the lines of 'we shared a bedroom our entire lives, how do I not know this already' not 'no way in hell do I have a gay brother'. And I'm not sure if it came across properly, but their biological father's name is John as well, hence why 'junior' insults him so much here. The four oldest kids all have low opinions of their biological father, for obvious reasons.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The formatting got a little wonky when I posted this from my phone, so hopefully I have it fixed now.

 Nursey was showering in the basement before bed, so Dex went upstairs to brush his teeth. It was still early, but Dex was eager to end the stressful evening in hopes of a nicer day tomorrow. "Where's Derek sleeping?" Andrew asked innocently when Dex poked his head into the kitchen on his way back.  He was pouring himself a glass of milk while their dad helped himself to another piece of cheesecake from the fridge.

"My room." 

"Great. So you're sleeping on the couch?" His dad asked. Dex opened his mouth to object but his dad did not let him. "Up here, in the living room."

"He's a guest in our house dad, I can't just make him sleep in the basement by _himself_."

"I wasn't born yesterday, William."

"Would you make Annie and Colin sleep on seperate floors? Or John and Colette?"

"Don't be ridiculous. They're married with children."

"And-"

"And you're not, William. I'm allowed to be old-fashioned about some things."

Dex sighed. "Fine. Can I at least sleep on the basement couch?"

"Alright, if you promise me you'll _stay_ there."

"Okay. I promise," Dex said as he went back downstairs. He explained the situation to Nursey, then set to spreading out spare blankets on the couch. The basement door opened a few minutes later and Joseph tiptoed down.

"I forgot my headphones on your desk."

"So?"

"Andy talks in his sleep sometimes. I need to listen to music when I go to bed."

Dex shrugged. "Okay, Just go knock on the door. Derek's dressed." He continued unfolding the blanket in his arms.

Joseph looked reluctantly down the small hallway at the bedroom door. "But... He's gay..."

"Joey, _I'm_  gay. He's not going to bite you, for crying out loud."

"No, but..." He looked back at the bedroom door and let out a whine. "Ugh. Nevermind. I don't need them."

Dex stopped Joseph with a hand on his shoulder. "Want me to go with you?"

"Yes."

"But only if you apologize for leaving during dinner."

"But-!"

"No buts. That was rude and hurtful."

Joseph sighed heavily. " _Fine._  I'm sorry."

Dex shook his head and put his other hand on Joseph's other shoulder, guiding him towards the bedroom. "Apologize to _Derek_. He's a guest in our home and you should be a better host. You're twelve now, you're not a little kid anymore. I can't force you to like my boyfriend, or the fact that I _have_  one, but I'll be damned if I let you be so impolite."

"Mom and dad already lectured me, jeez..." Joseph whined as Dex knocked on his own bedroom door.

"Come in!" Nursey called out.

Dex hesitated with one hand on the doorknob. "You're dressed right?"

"I'm not wearing a shirt, but you've never minded  _that_ , have you?" Nursey teased as the door opened to reveal Dex was with Joseph. "Shit. You didn't tell me your little brother was there."

"Why else would I care if you were clothed?" Dex asked with a grin when his boyfriend let out a nervous laugh. "Not like I haven't seen you naked hundreds of times by now."

"Ew," Joseph said as he hastily grabbed his headphones from the desk and headed for the bedroom door.

Dex caught him and spun his little brother around to face Nursey. "Don't be a smartass. We're on the same hockey team, remember? Locker rooms exist. Now, what did you have to say to Derek?"

Joseph looked down. "I'm sorry for leaving during dinner."

"There. Now was that so hard?" Dex exchanged small smiles with Nursey and led Joseph from the room.

"No," Joseph said quietly, pausing at the bottom of the stairs. "So... Do you like, _kiss_ and stuff?"

"Yes. Does that bother you?"

"It's okay, I guess..." Joseph hesitated for a second before wrapping his arms around Dex. "I'm sorry to you too."

"Thanks, buddy."

Joseph stopped again when he got to the top of the stairs. "Um, tell him his tattoo is cool. Okay?"

"Will do. Good night, Joey."

"Good night."

******

Dex woke up the next morning to the sound of footsteps on the floor above them. He glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. " _Shit!_ " He unwrapped himself from Nursey's arms and hurried to get dressed in his pajamas.

Sure enough his dad's unmistakeable heavy footsteps traveled to the basement door. "William!"

"Nurse! Hurry and wake up. Pretend that I just got here, okay?" Dex gave him a quick shake and hurried out to the bottom of the stairs. "Yeah dad?"

"I thought you said you would sleep on the couch..."

"I did! I was just waking up Derek so we could go for a morning run," Dex lied. He had fully planned to sleep on the couch, but after 45 minutes of lying on the couch unable to shut off the thoughts in his head, he had gone to see Nursey, and well, they had lost track of time. He had fallen asleep in Nursey's arms after, both completely exhausted from the events of the day, and comforted by each other's presence.

"Since when do you wake up this early?"

"Since I joined a college hockey team with ridiculously early morning practices before class," Dex answered back with a laugh. 

"Do you need anything?"

"Nah, we're good. We'll just grab some water and go." Dex quickly changed into his running clothes and went back to check on his boyfriend. "Nursey, come on. I told my dad we were going for a run. If we don't go, he'll know I slept here."

Nursey groaned and pulled Dex down into the bed with him. "Kiss me first."

Dex gave him a quick peck and rolled out of bed. "Let's go."

They started their run, but only made it as far as the park at the end of the street before Dex pulled Nursey away. "Babe? Where are we going?" 

"Shh," Dex whispered as he took Nursey through the park. He back him up against a tree and kissed his neck. "I brought my wallet. Want to go for breakfast?"

"Hell yes."

"Follow me. There's a little restaurant on the other side of this park..." Dex kissed a little trail up to Nursey's lips.

"You're sure affectionate for a public place in your hometown..."

"It's six o'clock in the morning and we're practically in the bushes," Dex replied with a grin. "And I just really want to kiss you right now..."

Nursey grinned back in between kisses. "Didn't get enough of me last night?"

"Nuh-uh..." Dex placed one more kiss on Nursey's lips. "Okay. I'm starving. I barely finished dinner last night after everything that happened."

"Okay. Lead the way, babe."

They were seated in a booth beside a window and drank coffee and water while they waited for their meals. "Sorry that my family was a little stressful last night. We can do some sightseeing today to give you some space. Is it overwhelming?"

Nursey chuckled. "A little, but it's kinda nice too. It reminds me of the Haus -- always busy, always someone home, always someone around to talk to... I'm a little scared to talk to anyone, but still. I'll adjust soon enough." Nursey tapped his foot against Dex's under the table. "You don't have to apologize again, you know. You did it enough last night, and it wasn't necessary then either."

Dex smiled and sipped his coffee. "You're not used to this kind of chaos from Andover?"

"It was a little like the Haus, I guess. I didn't really click with most of the guys at Andover. Not like at Samwell. Well, except Shitty of course. He was actually the prefect for my dorm my first year there."

"No way! How is this the first I'm hearing of this?"

"I assumed he would've told people. Though maybe he was trying to protect his new image. Can't have guys asking me for pictures of him without a moustache, can we?"

"You have those?"

"You bet. Not gonna show you though," Nursey said with a cheeky grin.

The waitress came back with their food and both men dug in, hungry from the night before. It was during the break in their conversation that another waiter spotted them and came to their table. "Will! You're back in town? Since when? Are you finished school?"

"Nah, it's spring break right now."

The waiter, one of Dex's friends from high school, turned to Nursey next. "And you are...?"

Dex answered for him while Nursey rushed to chew his current bite of food. "This is Derek. He's a teammate from Samwell. Nursey, this is Greg. We went to high school together."

Nursey swallowed and offered his hand to Greg. The other man shook it, but still eyed him curiously. "You look familiar. Are you from around here too?"

"No, New York. This is my first time in Maine."

"So you're just visiting a friend's family for spring break? That's kinda weird."

Nursey shrugged. "Something different. A change of scenery is always nice."

"We're only here for a couple of days. We're leaving tomorrow," Dex explained and Greg went on his way to check his other tables. He turned to Nursey once they were alone. "Is it okay that I said you were only my teammate? He can be a little... Well, I don't really know how he'd react, but probably not great."

"It's more than fine. You know these people, I trust your judgement."

"Thanks." Dex smiled. Their peace was short-lived.

Greg returned to the table and pointed at Nursey. "Wait. You go to that gay school, right?"

Dex froze with his fork halfway to his mouth. Nursey gave a small frown. "Pardon me?"

"You guys know Jack Zimmermann. You were in that video with Will -- _that's_ why I recognize you," Greg said and looked from Nursey to Dex. "You guys are _close,_  huh?"

"Everyone is close on our team."

Greg raised an eyebrow. " _Right_. Okay, I should get back to work. We're having a party tonight at my place for Matt's birthday. You should come since you're in town. I'm sure everyone'll want to see you, Will. You can bring your... _friend,_ too. It'll be a big surprise. Am I the only one you've seen so far?"

"Yeah," Dex exchanged looks with Nursey. "I uh, I'll let you know. Depends on if my family has any plans. Sunday night isn't usually a party night... They're probably assuming I'll be home."

"Well, if you can make it, come. I won't tell anyone in case you change your mind, but you should at least stop in for a beer or two."

"I'll think about it," Dex said with a smile as Greg went on his way. He let out a heavy sigh. "That could've gone worse, right? I'm surprised he didn't push the whole 'close friend' issue. Lucky break."

Nursey finished his last pancake. "I think he figured it out, don't you?"

"I can't actually tell. He was one of those guys that liked to throw homophobic slurs around in high school, so I expected he would react worse if he figured us out. Then again..."

"What is it?"

Dex looked down at his coffee cup. "I guess I was one of those guys sometimes, too..." He sighed. "I was crammed so far in that closet that I took a few opportunities to throw people off my scent when presented with them," he said quietly. "Mostly, I laughed along with the group at the jokes. If I fought it, they would have figured me out for sure..."

Nursey smiled sadly. "That sucks, but I get it."

The waitress came around with their bill and Dex hurried to pay so they could leave before getting caught up in another conversation with Greg. They took a significantly shorter run than planned, both too full to do much, and cut back through the park on their way back to Dex's house.

"Okay so maybe stuffing ourselves with pancakes was not the _best_ idea before a run..." Nursey said breathlessly as they neared the house, now walking.

"Yeah but, so good right? Completely worth it."

"Totally."

Dex looked around quickly to see if anyone else was out on the quiet residential street. Seeing nobody, he grabbed Nursey's hand. "I can't believe you're actually here with me. On the street where I grew up. My boyfriend... I never would have considered this as even a possibility before meeting you. And now? You're here and my family knows and part of me doesn't even care if someone catches us holding hands."

"I love you," Nursey said quietly and leaned over to catch the corner of Dex's mouth with a clumsy kiss as they walked. 

"I-" Dex jumped and pulled away when a car suddenly pulled in front of them and turned into his parents' driveway. "Holy shit that scared the crap out of me."

"Who is that?"

It only took Dex a second to register the vehicle as his shock faded. "That's John's car."

John stepped out of the car and watched as the young men approached. "Will... Can we talk?"

"Sure... But why are you here so early?"

"I wasn't sleeping and I know dad always gets up at six, so I gave him a call and he told me you guys would be back from your run soon. Perfect timing huh?"

"Yeah, um... Nursey? How 'bout you shower first. I'll go next after I'm done with my brother. If you go through the back door, you can probably make it straight downstairs without getting caught in any awkward conversations."

"Oh, great. Thanks. Okay, so, I will see you in a bit. Text me if you need me or something." Nursey hurried inside and Dex got into his brother's car so they could have a private conversation away from the chilly morning wind.

"So... Didn't get much sleep last night, huh?" Dex asked to get the conversation started.

John shook his head. "No, and _part_  of that was baby, but I wasn't really sleeping anyway so it was easier for me to handle her than have Colette wake up too... She yelled at me for almost two hours last night."

"The baby?"

"Don't be a smartass, Will."

"So... What else do you want to say? You said plenty last night."

"Will, cut me some slack. I'm trying here. I'm sorry it's not getting through, but I really am. It's just... You have to see what a bomb that is to drop, don't you?"

"I know, but-"

"I get that you assumed mom would tell us, because that's what she does 99% of the time, but... Why didn't _you_ tell me? You didn't think to give me a call or send a text? I shared a bedroom with you for 16 years. I thought I knew everything I could ever possibly know about you, but apparently there's this whole part of you that's been hidden. We used to talk about everything, but ever since you went to that school, you've changed."

Dex softly scoffed. "Yeah, I'm _happier_."

John looked at him and smiled sadly, remembering how tightly Dex had hugged him when he arrived the day before. "So yesterday when you hugged me and said how you were scared I wouldn't come... You thought there was a chance I wouldn't show if mom told me you were gay?"

"Yeah."

"Will... When have I ever not had your back? You know I would walk through fire for you, you're my brother. Of course I would have come."

"So if I had told you five years ago that I thought I was gay? What would you have done then?"

"Honestly, I probably wouldn't have believed you, and pulled some jerk move like trying to set you up with a friend's little sister or something. You've got me there," John said with a heavy sigh. "Is that how long you've known? Five years? This isn't like a 'I'm at Samwell so I'm going to experiment' kind of thing? You've been gay all this time and never told me?"

"Yeah, but I never told anybody. I didn't even fully admit it to myself until I found out about Bitty and Jack... I pushed it down for so long and everything bubbled up to the surface without warning. Accepting that I was gay, acknowledging how I felt about Derek... All with this giant presence looming over me telling me that our father had been right about me from the start," Dex paused to hold a finger up to John when he went to object. "I _know_  he was in the wrong, 100%... I know it's completely irrational to worry about it, but I did anyway. For a long time. So, I didn't tell tell anyone..."

John sighed again. "And Derek, he's good to you?"

"He's the best. He's... Derek's so patient and supportive and fun to be around. Even from the start when we didn't really get along, he was always there for me after a bad game or if I was having a bad day. We have almost nothing in common outside of hockey, but somehow there's nobody I want to spend time with more, even if we're doing completely different things or homework for different classes or whatever. He makes me happy."

"Well, I can't pretend like I'm not shocked by all this, because I am, but that doesn't mean it _changes_ anything. You're still my brother, I still love you, and I guess I just have to get used to the saying 'my brother's boyfriend' from now on."

Dex laughed. "You gonna be able to handle that?"

"It's an adjustment, but doable," John replied. "Can we both make an effort to talk more with each other from now on? I know things have been crazy the past couple of years with the wedding and you going to university, and the baby... but I still want to know what's going on with you, okay? I don't like being left in the dark about things, especially if something is bothering you."

"Okay. And John? I'm sorry about that 'junior' thing last night. You're a million times better man that he could even hope to be. I was upset in the moment, I didn't mean it."

"I know," John said with a smile. "We should go inside. You reek after that run, hurry up and shower. You smell like sweat and... Maple?"

"We took a detour to Dani's Diner for pancakes."

John laughed. "Dont you cramp up running immediately after a big meal?"

"Yeah, I'm in a lot of pain right now. It was a terrible idea." Dex laughed.

******

Dex woke up on the couch that night with Nursey cuddled against his shoulder. He checked his phone to see that it was nearly two in the morning. Dex had over a dozen unread texts that he did not feel brave enough to check yet, instead opting to put his phone down on the table and gently try to wriggle out of Nursey's grasp without waking him.

Dex crept upstairs to get a glass of water, and was surprised to see the kitchen light on. His dad had had the same idea. "Oh. Hey dad. I didn't think you'd be awake."

"Same. Are you trying to sneak into that boy's room?"

"No, but he's on the couch right now," Dex admitted. "We fell asleep watching a movie. I'm just grabbing a glass of water and then I'll make sure he goes to bed."

"William. We _both_ know that couch wasn't slept on last night."

Dex sighed and bit his lip. "I won't sneak into his room again. I'm sorry. Your house, your rules."

His dad sipped his water and sighed. "I know you're and adult now and I can't really stop you... But that doesn't mean I won't still worry about you making mistakes."

"Derek's not a mistake."

"I didn't say that he was, but you're still so young. You're going to have a hard road ahead of you if you take this path."

"With all due respect dad, it was going to be hard anyway. Meeting Derek didn't make me gay, he just made it easier for me to accept it. I know that I can't stay in this happy queer bubble created by Samwell and my team forever -- trust me, I _know_ \-- but for the first time in my life, I feel like maybe that's okay. I'm going to be okay, dad. I promise."

"You know we all want you to be happy, right? That's all your mom and I have ever wanted."

"I am," Dex insisted.

"Good. I'm happy you made up with your brother too. You know I hate it when you fight."

"I know." Dex chewed his lip nervously. "Hey, dad? Can I ask you a kinda weird question?"

His dad chuckled and sat down at the table. "Of course."

Dex joined him. "When did you know you loved mom? How did you know?"

"It was when she told me she was pregnant. We had only been together for five or six months by then, if you remember. I went out and bought a ring the very next day."

"Ah, yes. The shotgun wedding," Dex said and they shared a quiet laugh.

"I know that's what a lot of people thought, but it was more than that. Believe me, I had plenty of people questioning my decision -- a single mother of four with an abusive ex-husband? Why would I want to get mixed up in that? -- but bouncing from home to home in foster care as a kid, all I ever wanted was a family. Now I had one of my own. I never doubted it for even a minute. In that moment, _everything_ seemed to click. Did I ever tell you about that day?"

"I'm not sure."

"Your mom had been so nervous all day, she didn't even come to my classroom during lunch. I honestly thought she was going to end it with me."

Dex laughed. "I've definitely never heard this before."

"She made dinner at my apartment that night and I prepared myself for the worst, but the best thing happened instead. We hadn't said 'I love you' yet, but when your mom told me she was going to have a baby, I realized at there was never anything I had wanted more in my life. She was already a wonderful mother, and the most beautiful person inside and out... And I _knew_. I loved her more than anything. I didn't worry for another second -- well, that's not exactly true. I didn't worry about your _mom_ \-- I worried plenty about what you kids would think. _You_  were actually the hardest to win over out of all your siblings."

"Yeah, well..."

"I know." His dad patted his arm. "You had only started talking to me about a month before that, but I knew you were a great kid. You all were." He smiled. "Do you remember the first time you called me dad?"

"Yeah. At the wedding. You bought me my first real tie and tried to show me how to tie it properly." Dex chuckled at the memory. "It was a disaster. You had to do it for me. But, it was probably the first time I had a piece of clothing that was _mine_  and not a hand-me-down from John. Then you gave me the rings and said I was the _only_ person you trusted with them. I felt so special."

"You remember what you said then?"

"Yeah. 'Thanks, dad.'"

His dad smiled. "You've always had difficulty trusting people, it takes you a long time to let anyone in. So... If you trust this young man, I trust your judgement. If Derek makes you happy, then that's all that matters to me. I won't say any more on the matter. I trust you."

Dex stood and hugged his dad, fight back tears with everything he had. "I love you. I'm so grateful you're my dad."

"I love you too, son. Get some sleep," his dad said quietly and patted his back to comfort him.

Dex took his glass of water and crept back down the basement stairs. He set the glass down on the coffee table and knelt beside the couch, gently shaking Nursey's arm. "Wake up. You should go to the bed."

Nursey stirred with a sleepy mumbled protest. He finally opened his eyes and was shocked to see the tears on Dex's cheeks. "Babe? What's wrong? Why are you crying? What happened?"

Dex choked out a laugh and wiped at his eyes with the palm of his hand. "Im fine. They're the good kind. I had a nice talk with my dad just now. Derek, I-" he stopped himself mid-sentence when he noticed Nursey's eyelids flutter. "I think you should go to bed."

"Nah, babe. I can't leave if you're crying, even happy ones..." Nursey slurred through his words as he struggled to keep his eyes open. He reached out and rubbed the back of Dex's neck.

"I'm okay, really. Come on," Dex said with a small groan as he hoisted Nursey to his feet. He settled his drowsy boyfriend into the bed and stood up.

"Stay here with me."

"I should stay on the couch tonight, I promised my dad I would yesterday. Goodnight, Nurse." Dex bent down one more time to give Nursey a kiss.

"Goodnight, babe." Nursey smiled. He was already back asleep by the time Dex left the room.

Dex took a sip of his water and curled up on the couch. He grabbed his phone and checked it to see there were now 18 unread text messages. He quickly scrolled through to be sure he was not missing any from Chowder or Bitty. They were all from high school friends, some of whom had not even been at the party from earlier. He sighed and put his phone back down without reading them. Yes, Dex was well aware that the rest of the world did not function like it did at Samwell, but it was going to be okay. He was in love with Derek Nurse. They would make it work somehow. For now, he would get a good night's sleep and enjoy the rest of the week with his boyfriend in New York and at home in Samwell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What happened at that party? They didn't stay there very long, and opted to go back to Dex's house for movies instead. Dex keeps getting texts from high school people, hm... That will get covered later.  
> For now, holy crap this chapter killed me a little. Dex had a talk with his little brother, his older brother, and his dad. The dad one was rough, but I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter.  
> Next stop: New York!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dex has trouble adjusting to the reality of Nursey's "real" life when they travel to New York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I was out of town all long weekend (literally in the middle of nowhere - barely a phone signal lol) but I'm back and chapter 7 is finally ready! Enjoy!

They stopped at a rest area about two-thirds of the way through their trip from Portland ME to Manhattan to grab coffee, stretch their legs, and switch drivers. Dex sipped his coffee at a picnic table while he waited for Nursey to come back from the bathroom. He was glad to be finished his leg of the driving, it had been an early morning for Dex. He had awoken to the hustle and bustle upstairs that was his parents and younger siblings getting ready for school, and went up to help where he could and say his goodbyes since he and Nursey would be leaving within a few hours while everyone else was gone.

It had kept him busy enough that he did not have to think about the party they had gone to the night before, but now that Dex was sitting alone on a wooden bench in the afternoon sun, the thoughts crept back. He finally caved and set to checking his unread text messages from the night before. Some were polite and supportive, asking him to return to the party or offering an ear if he ever wanted to talk. Most resembled how John had reacted -- disbelief, jokes, some anger. Incredulous, as though Dex owed them more of an explanation. He didn't.

It had never been his plan to stay long at the party, but Nursey had insisted that they at least make an appearance so he could say hello to his old friends. Nursey assured him he could handle it without going over the top like he usually did at Haus parties and quickly settled himself into the party, mixing casually with the group and being as charming as ever. They had a few drinks, and enjoyed themselves -- Dex laughing about old stories from school, Nursey attempting not to be seen talking to any girl for too long lest she had a jealous and drunk boyfriend -- it was fun. 

It was only when Dex decided to call it an early night and end on a high note that things fell apart. "We should head out. Ready, Nurse?"

"Sure, babe." Nursey had turned to grab his coat from the back of the couch when the words sank in. He looked at Dex with panic and Dex froze. The people near them grew quiet as they processed what they had overheard.

"Did he just call you 'babe?' What the fuck, Will?" One guy asked.

"I fucking called it. I told you guys there was something weird when I saw them this morning," Greg laughed. "You guys know they go to that gay school that Jack Zimmermann is from, right?"

Nursey went to speak but Dex shushed him and pushed his coat into his hands. "Don't. Let's go," he warned before turning back to the high school group. Their reactions were a mix of laughter and disgust. "Fuck you, Greg."

"You're not even trying to deny it, Will?" Another friend asked. 

"What would be the point of that now? Congratulations, you pieced it together. He's my boyfriend. We're leaving." Dex tried to hurry Nursey out the door peacefully, but it did not work out. Greg got in his face one more time, so Dex's fist got in _his_ face. Nursey managed to pull him away in ensuing chaos and they ran back to Dex's house. 

Nursey apologized profusely for the slip up and Dex did his best to reassure him that it was not his fault. It had been the drop of blood in the water that turned the situation into a feeding frenzy, but Dex had been well aware they were swimming with sharks. He blamed himself for not warning Nursey, especially knowing that alcohol would loosen his tongue. They had both been having fun, but it was easy to forget that they could not be open like at Samwell. The young men talked it out and cuddled up on the basement couch to watch a couple movies. 

The mid-night conversation with his Dad had helped Dex feel better, even though he had not mentioned the party at all. It reminded him that he had an unshakeable support system. Between his family and his friends at Samwell, Dex knew he would always have people in his life that had his back, so it did not matter what some guys from his old high school team thought. He would be fine.

The talk with his dad had reminded Dex of something else, too -- he had hated him at the start. Dex had been stuck on the thought that his love for his family had been unconditional since day one, but that had not been the case with his dad. 

He met his dad when he was seven years old and deeply distrusting of most men -- he had even become wary of some of his uncles in the wake of what his father had done, despite that they had never been anything but kind to him. His dad had unending patience with him while he slowly regained his ability to trust. It had been so long, that Dex had forgotten that there was ever a time that he did not love the man who became his first _real_  dad. There was no single 'aha' moment when it came to loving his dad, so why had he been expecting a specific moment to know he was _in_  love with Nursey?

There wasn't one. He loved Nursey. His dad's story had made him realize that. There was nobody he wanted to be with more at any given time of the day or night, nobody he trusted more outside of his family, nobody that made him feel as happy as Nursey did. He was in love with Nursey, and suddenly could not bear the thought of going another minute without telling him. Dex looked up to find Nursey approaching the picnic table.

"Aw, damn. I was trying to sneak up on you," Nursey said with a chuckle and reached for his coffee cup next to Dex. 

"I love you."

Nursey was caught off guard by the sudden declaration. "What?"

"I'm in love with you. More than anything in the entire world, I love you. I love you."

A bright smile crossed Nursey's lips and he straddled the picnic bench, moving in as close as he could. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Dex said as he smiled back. "Probably for the entire time we've been dating. That talk with my dad last night helped me work out some things. Sorry I didn't say it sooner. You're the most incredible man I've ever met and I just... I didn't want to go another second without being _sure_ that you knew that I am ridiculously in love with you."

"I know we're in public in broad daylight, but can I kiss you right now?"

Dex nodded his head and brought one hand up behind Nursey's head to guide him in, while Nursey grabbed his other hand on the table and linked their fingers. He let out a small contented sigh against his lips as they kissed. The rest area was not very busy, and even if it had been, Dex was not sure he would have cared. He let himself get lost in the moment. He loved Derek Nurse. Why had he doubted those feelings for even a second?

The warm fluttering feeling of relief rose in his chest like every time he solved a problem he was stuck on, but ten-fold. Dex pulled back with a smile, and so did Nursey. 

"I love you too." A small excited chuckle escaped Nursey's throat. "Oh god, I'm so excited to say that!"

Dex laughed at his giddy boyfriend. "We should get back to the car..."

"Yeah, true. Yeah. You're totally right," Nursey said as he stood from the bench and grabbed his coffee cup. He nearly vibrated out of his own skin when Dex took ahold of his free hand and held it as they walked back to the car. They had held hands countless times before, but this time was extra special. They were not at Samwell, they were in a public place, and Dex just said he loved him. "I can't wait to get you to New York. I'm gonna pamper you like crazy tonight, you have no idea."

******

Dex let out a burst of nervous laughter. "I thought you were joking when you said you had an elevator inside your house..."

"There's six floors including the basement, can you imagine servants having to walk up and down that all day long?"

Dex choked on air. "You have servants?"

Nursey laughed. "God, no! There's a cleaning lady who comes in twice a week, and a gardener comes in every couple of weeks, but that's normal stuff. I meant back in the day, like, when this place was built. People had butlers and chefs and maids and shit."

"Oh."

They rode the small elevator up to the fourth floor where Nursey's bedroom was located. "Just toss your bag anywhere, it doesn't matter. Or- you can have your own room if you want. There's a spare bedroom just across from mine. Don't feel obligated or anything."

"Of course I'm going to stay in your room, Nurse. Why would I want to be anywhere else?" To be honest, Dex was shocked by the size of the house. Even across the hall from Nursey seemed to be too far.

"Right, sure. Okay, great. Okay, um... You get settled in a bit, I'll be right back. Just gotta check on something."

Dex stretched out on his back on Nursey's bed and covered his eyes with his forearm. This was the first time he could remember ever feeling intimidated by Nursey, and it was not even him directly -- it was his home. Nursey being rich was not news to him, Nursey being _this_  rich, was. Dex had only been in the house for fifteen minutes and he was already completely overwhelmed.

Nursey returned to the room, his smile falling when he saw Dex. He looked tense. "Is something wrong?"

Dex sighed. "I'm so embarrassed that you've seen my house," he admitted without looking up. "I didn't expect _this_."

"Babe, you have no reason to be embarrassed. I loved your house." Nursey crawled over to Dex on the bed and snuggled up to him.

"Don't lie. That's impossible. It's over a hundred years old and some part falls apart every second week."

Nursey grinned against Dex's neck. No wonder he was alway willing and able to fix things around the Haus. "I mean it. Who cares if it needs a couple renovations or repairs? It felt like a real home. Growing up, this place always felt like I was living in some kind of a museum."

"It's really pretty."

"Yeah, it's okay _now_ , but this wasn't exactly a fun place for a kid to grow up."

"At least there's lots of room to run," Dex offered light-heartedly. "Your room is almost as big as my entire upstairs, and you have your own private bathroom."

Nursey wrapped his arm around Dex's waist a little tighter. "More space doesn't mean it wasn't  _stifling_."

"I guess I can see that," Dex admitted.

"And you never have to be embarrassed with me. Your family and the house you grew up in,  where you came from, even those idiots you went to school with... All of that shaped you into _you_ and I love _you_."

Dex rolled onto his side and kissed Nursey, who promptly returned him to lying on his back when he deepened their kiss. "I love you too." Dex whispered. Sure, their lives before Samwell had been vastly different, but Dex and Nursey were very much in sync now.

Nursey was smiling when Dex opened his eyes again. "Can I bring you to my favourite restaurant tonight?"

"Of course."

"There's a dress code," he warned.

"Oh. Um... I kinda just packed normal clothes..."

"It's okay, we're practically the same size. You can wear some of my stuff."

"Am I going to know what anything is on the menu?"

"I'm sure you will," Nursey said with a laugh. "If you have any questions, you can ask me."

Dex nodded his head, but was still unsure. "Okay." He bit his lip.

"Babe! I'm so excited to bring you there! They make this zucchini dish that I've been craving for over a month and it's sooo good!" Nursey gave Dex a quick peck on the lips before rolling out of bed and bounding over to his closet. "Reservations are for 7:00, let's get ready."

******

"You don't like it?" Nursey asked as Dex tentatively poked his dessert with his fork and took a small taste.

"No, it's good. Do you want to try it? You can take the first real bite."

"That's okay. I've had it before," Nursey said with a smile. He watched Dex poke at the dessert again and lick the small trace left on his fork. His brow was furrowed as he stared at his plate. "What's with that troubled look on your face?"

"I feel like everyone is watching me. Is it obvious that I have no clue what I'm doing here?"

"No, you're doing fine. Just dig in," Nursey chuckled when Dex gave him an unsure look. "It's all edible, I promise."

"You've definitely had this before? You're not pranking me or something, right?" Dex smiled when Nursey chuckled again and shook his head. "I still think people are going to notice I've been eating everything the wrong way."

"Everybody is paying attention to their own tables, babe. Even if someone was watching you, who cares? Some of the most disgusting eaters I have ever seen have been billionaires. You could pick that whole thing up with your bare hand and shove it in your face and _still_ not be the worst eater they see here today."

Dex chuckled and finally took a proper bite. "Oh wow. That _is_  good. You sure you don't want a bite?"

"Maybe a little bite... If you feed it to me." Nursey winked.

"Oh god..." Dex rolled his eyes but traded small bites with Nursey, tasting his dark chocolate mousse as well. "Mm, that's good. So, do you eat like this all the time when you're home?"

"No way. I just wanted to celebrate tonight."

"Celebrate what?"

"You. Here. With me." Nursey smiled.

Dex scoffed but could not stop his grin. "You're so sappy."

"I know."

The server came by and discreetly gave Nursey the cheque, but not before Dex caught a peek at the total. He went pale. "What? That can't be right..."

"Shh, babe. It is. It's fine," Nursey assured him as he pulled out his credit card.

"But I didn't realize-"

"Don't worry about it. We're celebrating tonight, remember?"

"This is too much. I don't deserve-"

Nursey reached over and touched his hand. "Shh. You deserve everything." He gave Dex a gentle kiss to reassure him. 

"But you're just celebrating me being here..."

"It's more than that," Nursey said with a smile. "Today was the first time I got to say 'I love you **_too.'_** "

Dex shook his head with a quiet chuckle, trying to lighten his own mood to match Nursey. It did not quite work, but he did not want to ruin the night with negativity. Dex looked down at his plate. He had been raised not to waste food and was determined to finish his dessert, despite the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach after seeing the bill. "Six hundred dollars is a high price to pay for a three letter word..."

Nursey laughed. "Worth every penny."

******

Dex finished his second glass of wine much faster than he should have. He hoped it would help him relax, but instead it was making his head fuzzy when combined with Nursey's hot tub. It did not help that beneath the churning water, Dex knew that both he and Nursey were completely naked.

This was it, wasn't it? Nursey said they would wait to have sex until Dex said 'I love you' and now he had. They went out for a nice dinner -- although 'nice' was quite the understatement in Dex's mind -- and were now naked together in a rooftop hot tub, drinking wine. Dex pushed the question of how much the wine must have cost from his mind. Thinking about money was only stressing him out more.

"Your face is really red, babe. Maybe you should get out for a bit."

"I'm fine. It's just the wine, I think."

Nursey set his wine glass down carefully next to the bottle and moved in close, kissing the nape of Dex's neck. "Sit up on the edge for a bit."

"But I- _oh!_ " Dex gasped when one of Nursey's hands slid down to his lap and set to work. "You don't have to-ah! Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, babe." Nursey chuckled and nipped at his collarbone. "You don't want me to? Am I bad at it?"

"No, I do. You're great at it, but..."

" _But...?_ "

"We didn't bring any condoms up here..."

Nursey grinned and kissed his way back up to Dex's lips. "It's okay. I've always wanted to try without one, but I didn't trust anyone enough until you. So, can I?"

"Okay," Dex said breathlessly with a nod of his head.

"Okay, get up on the edge. Careful," Nursey instructed. He positioned himself between Dex's legs, arms curled around his thighs to help brace him so Dex would not lose his balance. "I love you..." Nursey mumbled as he kissed and nipped his way up his inner thigh.

"I love you, too." Dex ran one hand through Nursey's damp hair, grabbing a fistful when he felt Nursey's mouth close around him. " _Fuck!_ " He whispered and pulled his hand away to grip the edge of the hot tub where he was perched. 

Nursey responded by tightening his grip around Dex's legs a little more and beginning to Bob his head in a slow rhythm. It sent a shiver down Dex's back.

After two minutes out of the water, his shiver was no longer due to the pleasure he was experiencing. Dex was cold. "Derek, wait!" Dex tapped Nursey's shoulder to get his attention. "I'm freezing. Let's pause for a sec."

Nursey eased off, kissing up Dex's stomach and chest as the redhead slipped back into the water. "Sorry." Nursey continued his trail up to his ear. "You're so sexy, I couldn't help myself..."

"Hah!"

"I'm serious, Will. Quit laughing it off when I say how hot you are. It's not a joke. You're gorgeous." 

Dex knew Nursey hated it when he laughed or dismissed compliments with a self-deprecating joke, but he still did not know how to respond to such things. He had never felt attractive before -- nobody to his knowledge had ever found him attractive before. His mom always called him handsome, but that's just what moms do. It was very different when Nursey called him handsome. When Nursey said he was sexy or beautiful or gorgeous, Dex could almost believe him. It made his heart flutter even while the rest of him fought off the urge to crack a joke about Nursey needing glasses.

Nursey frowned at Dex's continued silence. "It's true. I have no idea how a guy like me ever managed to win you over. You're incredible inside and out. I love you so much, Will..." He whispered.

"I love you, too." Dex turned his head to kiss Nursey, but stopped himself when he remembered what they had been doing only moments before. "Um..."

"Are you warm now? Shall I continue?" Nursey sensed Dex's hesitation to kiss him on the mouth immediately after oral sex, even though they had stopped part-way through. Instead he kissed back down his neck to his shoulder while his hands continued to work Dex under the water. "Or we can dry off and go inside. I'll brush my teeth and wash my mouth if you're grossed out."

Dex blushed. It was embarrassing to be called out like that, but neither one of them had done this before. He bit the bullet and asked the question nagging his mind. "Do I- uh, you know... Does it taste weird?"

"A little like chlorine, but I'm 90% sure that's the water's fault." Nursey grinned.

"Oh god..." Dex groaned and rested his head on Nursey's shoulder. "Can we go inside? To your room?"

"Yeah." Nursey leaned over the side of the hot tub and checked a small cupboard. "Um, sit tight for a second. I forgot to bring towels, and there's only one here."

"Okay." Dex sunk his shoulders a little farther under the water to keep warm as Nursey hopped out of the hot tub and made a dash inside. "Why didn't you use the towel?!" He called after his naked boyfriend with a laugh.

Dex instead climbed out of the hot tub and wrapped the towel around his waist. He took the moment alone to wander over to the railing and peered down at the street below. Even on the mostly residential street at night, New York still buzzed with noise.

"Careful," Nursey warned, stepping up behind him and wrapping a fresh towel arms Dex's shoulders. He kept his arms locked around Dex in a hug. "It's really far down to the street from here. Trust me."

"Oh? Have you fallen over before, klutz?" Dex teased.

"No, but- uh..." Nursey tightened his grip and pulled Dex with him as he stepped back from the edge. "Believe me, I've spent a lot of time looking over those railings..."

He turned around and kissed Nursey. "You brushed your teeth?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe I should too. I taste like wine." The wine on his lips and the mint on Nursey's tongue did not make a pleasant combination.

"Let's go inside."

They went down one floor to Nursey's bedroom and when Dex returned from brushing his teeth, he found the lights dimmed and Nursey striking the cheesiest sexy pose he could on the bed, still dresses in only a towel. "You're a dork," Dex said as he approached the bed, laughing to cover his nerves. He crawled up beside Nursey and was promptly caught up in his arms and thoroughly kissed. "Are we going to have sex tonight?"

"Only if you want to. We don't have to if you-"

"I want to."

Nursey smiled. "Okay." He placed another gentle kiss on Dex's lips. "Want me to put on some music?"

Dex nodded silently. "You have condoms, right? For this part?"

"Yeah, and lube. They're in my bag." He got up to set some music and Dex went to Nursey's bag in search of the condoms.

Dex found what he was looking for in a side pocket of Nursey's bag, along with a prescription bottle that he was not aware Nursey needed. He resisted the urge to snoop at the label and returned to the bed. They quickly shed the interfering towels and Nursey rolled Dex onto his back, pressing kisses up his abdomen.

"How did you want to do this?" Nursey asked. "I'm good either way."

"Me too, I think. But..." Dex hesitated, but Nursey watched him patiently, urging him to continue with a small nod of his head. "I really don't know what I'm doing and I'm afraid I might hurt you or something. I know you don't have a lot of experience with this either, but... I think I'd rather you take the lead this time."

"Okay, babe. Of course. Whatever you're comfortable with," Nursey shimmied his body up to align their faces and kissed Dex on the mouth. His tongue flicked at Dex's upper lip longingly. "If you need to stop just tell me, okay?"

"I won't need to."

"Well, _**if**_  you do, that's okay. Promise you'll tell me."

"You wouldn't be mad?"

"Never, babe. The point of sex is to feel good, so if something _doesn't_ you need to tell me so that I can change that."

"Okay. I promise." Dex swallowed down his nerves and wrapped his arms around Nursey's back. "Derek, I... I trust you. I'm ready."

"Me too." Nursey smiled, but his hands trembled slightly as they moved their way down Dex's torso. "I didn't think I'd be this nervous," he admitted.

Dex kissed him reassuringly while moving one leg to wrap around Nursey's waist, pressing their bodies tightly together. "I love you," he whispered, slowly moving his hips against his boyfriend.

"I love you too, Will. So much." Nursey kissed down his neck and paused to suckle on Dex's collarbone, eliciting a moan from the redheaded man. "I'm gonna make you feel so good, babe. I promise..." Nursey kissed down to Dex's hip bone intending to continue where they left off in the hot tub but stopped when he felt his legs stiffen. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just, can I use a condom for this part? I still want to kiss you, and I'm not ready to find out what my own dick tastes like yet."

Nursey chuckled at his unexpected candor. He pressed his face against the pale skin of Dex's inner thigh to stifle his laugh, sucking a hickey into the spot while he was at it. "Of course," he said, reaching for a flavoured condom from the assortment Dex had brought to the bed. "Keep doing that, babe. Tell me exactly what you want or don't want, okay?"

Dex chuckled too. Even saying something "embarrassing" was met with support from Nursey. "I will." He knew he was in good hands.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'll just have to use your imaginations for the actual sex scene. Next chapter picks up in the morning after. What lies in store for the boys now?   
> How will having sex change their relationship? How will the way Nursey tosses money around New York affect Dex? How will Nursey's parents react when they find out he snuck his "gold digging" boyfriend into their home while they were away?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for discussion of depression and suicide. Also anxiety.  
> \------  
> The opening scene is a direct reference to the scene in "Lose Control" when Nursey helps drunk Dex home after Winter Screw, btw.
> 
> Also, have you heard "Broken Glass" by Sia? Maybe you want to listen to it for the last part of the chapter. Just saying...

Dex woke up to something tickling his shoulder. He buried his face in the pillow and grinned. "What are you doing?"

"Playing connect-the-dots."

"With my freckles?"

"Mmhm..." Nursey smiled. He sat up in bed, but continued to lean over Dex to trace little lines onto his shoulder. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this."

"You're such a fucking dork." He laughed.

"Unfair. I'm a lovestruck idiot."

"Oh? There's a difference?"

"Pfft! Totally. A _big_ difference. Don't ask me to explain it, but there's _definitely_ a difference," Nursey said, bending down again to kiss Dex on the shoulder. "How do you feel this morning?"

"Good. A little hungover maybe, but good." Dex smiled and let his eyes drift closed once more. "Happy."

"Good."

"And you?" Dex opened one eye to look up at Nursey, while seeking out his hand to entwine their fingers. "How are you feeling?"

"Great, babe. Really great. I love you."

Dex let out a contented sigh. "I love you too." He stifled a yawn and Nursey laughed.

"Sleep for a bit longer. I'll bring you some coffee."

"Ugh, you're the best." He kissed the back of Nursey's hand before finally letting him go. 

Dex was not sure how long he had fallen back asleep for, but he awoke to the series of three quick beeps that sounded from the alarm system when the front door was opened and closed. Had Nursey gone out to buy coffee rather than make it? He tossed off the blanket covering him from the waist down, only to remember that he was completely naked. He immediately felt a sharp stab of anxiety in his chest and pulled the sheet back up over his lap. It was far from the first time Dex woke up in Nursey's bed, and it was common to wake up wearing nothing but his underwear, but this was the first time he was fully nude while waking up in Nursey's bed. 

Dex took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He ran through the facts in his head. The room itself was unfamiliar, but it was still Nursey's bed. He loved Nursey and Nursey loved him. They had finally had sex. It had been awkward, but wonderful. Nursey had almost stopped entirely part-way through when Dex's anxiety had started to get the best of him, too worried to push any further, but Dex was persistent. Instead they slowed things down, took a short break, and continued once Nursey was certain he was comfortable. It had been beautiful and Dex would not trade the experience for anything in the world. Given the way Nursey was so gentle and loving that morning, Dex was fairly certain that he felt the same way. Why then, did thinking about it fill Dex with equal parts comfort and apprehension?

He used the bathroom and got dressed, opting to wait to have a shower when he remembered Nursey mentioning that the hot water setting was tricky in his bathroom. Nursey had still not returned to the bedroom, so Dex padded out quietly in his socked feet to the staircase. An unfamiliar male voice, too low to be Nursey, caught his attention and he stopped.

"Imagine our shock when we checked your credit card charges and saw you were _home_."

"I thought you weren't getting back until Thursday..." Nursey's voice echoed up from the kitchen.

"We _weren't_ , but when we saw you were in New York we booked an earlier flight," a woman's voice said. "Were you planning to leave before we could see you?"

"Yeah, probably."

"Why? So your boyfriend could spend a couple days drinking expensive wine and eating at Michelin-starred restaurants? He's obviously here with you."

Dex carefully descended a few stairs so he could better hear what was being said. "It was _my_  idea to come here."

"Maybe that's what he wanted you to think. What if he's manipulating you?"

"You haven't even met him."

"You know, Derek, it's one thing if this is just a fling at school, but it's different if you're going to bring this stranger into our home without our knowledge. Gold-digging men exist too. You need to be more careful," his mother continued her lecture.

"You seemed fine with the idea when you thought he was rich."

"Don't make this about money."

" _ **You're**_ the one making it about money! What about how I feel? William is the best person I have ever met."

"You're only twenty years old, Derek. You haven't met many people," his father said sternly.

Nursey's voice wavered, but he stood his ground. "That's not fair. You met in _high school_."

"This is not only about age. You come from very different backgrounds."

Nursey scoffed and turned to his father. "How are you not seeing this? It's the same thing grandpa did to you. Opposing your relationship because of some shitty detail that shouldn't even matter. You're my parents! Why can't you be satisfied that I've found someone who makes me so happy?"

"You barely know this boy."

"I've know him for almost two years and I've loved him for nearly the entire time." Nursey's voice sounded pleading. "You guys forget what it feels like to be in love."

"Enough, Derek. Spend 25 years with someone. Make a commitment to them and keep it through the good times and the truly awful times. Every minute of it your mother and I have weathered together. Real love is work. Every day. You keep course and if you're strong you make it through the storm. Don't you dare stand there and tell me that we forget what love is like."

"Then you forget what it's like at the _beginning_. I can't speed up time -- we can only be as far as we are right now, but that doesn't mean that we won't reach your point _someday_. Eventually."

"Derek--"

He sighed. "I don't _know_  what's going to come next, but this could be _it_ for me. If you have that big of a problem with it, then so be it. I hope you'll come around eventually. Preferably before _my_ kid's eighth birthday."

Dex scrambled to his feet when he heard Nursey stomping up the stairs, and returned to the bedroom so he could deny eavesdropping. He poked his head out when Nursey's footsteps continued up another flight to the rooftop. Checking that Nursey's parents weren't following him, Dex quickly and ascended the staircase after him. He found Nursey leaning against the rooftop railing and watching the street below. "Are you okay?"

"I wasn't allowed up here for a long time, you know? It's actually my favourite place of this house. It gets so quiet in there when you're the only one home, but up here on the roof? You can hear the noise of the city and it doesn't feel so lonely. Eight million people down there just trying figure out their lives, like we're all in this together somehow. Sometimes it helps."

"Derek..." Dex approached cautiously and took a seat on the ground beside him. "Want to talk about it?"

Nursey sighed. "I tried to jump from here once. I'm not even sure if I would have gone through with it. I sat on this railing with my legs on the other side and thought about letting go. It was scary. I think I was waiting for a strong gust of wind to come along and make the decision for me. Divine intervention or something to put me out of my misery. No wind, but I got Enid."

"Enid?"

"Our housekeeper at the time. She came up here and saw me. All I remember is a scream and someone squeezing their arms around me with all their might. The bottle of window cleaner or whatever she had fell to the sidewalk and burst everywhere and for a second I was relieved it wasn't me. Enid pinned me down and wailed, and like, I didn't understand _why_. She barely even knew me, why did she care? Apparently she cried for two hours after the ambulance came. I stayed in the psych unit for a while, and she ended up quitting not long after I came home. I think she was probably scared she would be too late the next time."

Dex took Nursey's hand and gave it a squeeze. He did not know what to say, but he wanted some way to show his support. The medication he had seen in Nursey's bag the night before suddenly made sense. "When I went in your bag last night for the condoms, I saw a bottle of pills. I wasn't trying to snoop, but they were in the same pocket..."

"Yeah, well, now you know what those are for..." Nursey leaned his shoulder against Dex. "I never saw Enid after that, you know? Didn't even get to thank her properly for _literally_ saving my life. I didn't think it would make any difference whether I was here or not, even to my parents, and yet here was this woman I barely knew completely broken up... Even strangers can change your life, I guess." He sighed. "Anyway, my parents sent me to Andover a few months later."

Dex stifled a gasp. "So you were only fourteen?"

"Yeah. Barely. It happened in April, I think." Nursey stood and brushed off his pants. "I know this is probably hard for you to wrap your head around. Your family would have moved fucking mountains for you, but mine just isn't like that. My family sends their crazy son away where he can't embarrass them."

Dex stood as well and gave him a gentle hug. "Do you want to go?"

"Yeah. Sorry we didn't get to do any sightseeing..."

"It's okay."

"Let's get the fuck out of here, already."

"Okay."

******

The car ride home to Samwell was done mostly in silence, only the sound of the radio filling the air. They had packed in a hurry and left before Nursey could get in another argument with his parents, and Dex was relieved that he did not have to face them for more than a passing glance as Nursey dragged him out the door. It had been a while since someone had thought that lowly of him.

They stopped at a fast food restaurant for lunch but exchanged only small talk before switching seats for the rest of the drive home. Dex let his mind wander as he watched to road in front of him, recounting the events of the previous day. He knew he loved Nursey, and he was relieved that he said the words before seeing his extravagant house. Dex would have hated it if Nursey thought that his wealth had in any way swayed his words... But no matter how much Dex insisted inside his head, the doubts still nagged at him. The dinner, the rooftop, the fine wine, the large bed... Dex was flooded with worry that he had been thoroughly seduced. What if it had all been an act?

He glanced over at Nursey, but the other man kept his eyes trained out the passenger window at the ground zipping by. Dex knew that their plans for the day had been derailed by Nursey's parents coming home, but they were alone now. Why weren't they talking about it? Maybe the sex had been disappointing for Nursey, after all. What if his kindness earlier that morning had been the first steps of letting Dex down gently? But the things Nursey said to his parents -- he loved Dex -- those things must have been true, right? Maybe Dex was worrying again for no reason, but... 

Why weren't they talking about it?

What if it had all been an act?

Maybe Nursey could not bring himself to stay with someone his parents did not approve of after all...

Dex pressed his foot a little more against the gas pedal. He wanted to get back to Samwell. Even a few extra miles per hour would shave off their travel time. He turned up the radio an extra notch to help drown out his unrelenting anxious thoughts. He stopped at a gas station just outside of Samwell and when Nursey insisted that he would pay, Dex lashed out. "Just let me pay for the fucking gas, Nurse."

"It's okay, babe. I've got it. It's my car."

"I don't need you paying for every little thing this week or any other week, okay?"

"You bought breakfast the other day..."

"Ten bucks for breakfast, yeah. And you paid for gas to Maine and New York, and you bought dinner at that insane restaurant, and-"

"Shh, Will. It's fine. I wanted to. Why are you getting so worked up about this?"

Dex went inside to pay for the gas without answering him. They continued to argue in the car as they arrived on campus. He handed Nursey the car keys but neither man got out of the vehicle. "I paid for our three-month anniversary dinner last week and it cost $45," Dex said. He turned to Nursey. "That dinner last night cost _$600_  and you paid for it like it was nothing."

"We were celebrating! What are you getting at?"

Dex squirmed in his seat. His chest felt tight like he could not breath properly. "Your parents were right. What if we're too different? I always knew you were out of my league, but-"

"Don't say that-"

"It's true, Derek! I'm never going to fit into the world you came from, with expensive dinners multi-million dollar homes. My parents are elementary school teachers. I have five siblings. We've scraped by my entire life -- I can't handle wasting money on useless things. Fuck, do you have _any_ clue what I could do with $600?"

"If you need money, let me-"

" _No!_ Not okay! How could you even suggest that? That's so fucked up!" Dex got out of the car and grabbed their bags from the trunk. Nursey hurried after him. "I don't need a fucking sugar daddy, Nursey. This isn't Pretty Woman!" 

"Pretty-? Dex! I'm not trying to buy you stuff out of pity or whatever. I love you, Will. I want to do nice things for you sometimes. What's so wrong with that?"

"It makes me uncomfortable."

Nursey nodded his head. "Okay. I'll stop. You've got it."

Dex gripped the strap of his bag and slung it over his shoulder. "It's more than that..." His voice caught in his throat. 

"Are you breaking up with me?"

"No. I don't know, I... This is all too much to handle right now. It feels like I'm suffocating. I need some time to think. Maybe I should sleep in my own room tonight."

"Okay..." Nursey's voice hitched when he spoke, as though he was fighting back tears, but Dex did not look up as he quickly made his way inside the dorms.

******

Dex rolled over and grabbed his phone to check the time. 3:45am. He had barely left his room in the 13 hours since he got home to Samwell. He ate a protein bar from his hockey bag for dinner, even though he had no appetite. To say that he managed to get a few hours of sleep would be generous. Dex had spent half of a day crying, thinking, trying to distract himself, and worrying. _You're ruining everything. You're so fucking stupid._ He told himself. Dex nervously texted Nursey.

Dex: I don't want to break up.   
Dex: Just wanted to make sure you knew...  
Dex: I shouldn't have said it like that and left.  
Dex: Sorry if this wakes you.  
Nursey: I'm awake.   
Nursey: Good to hear. I really love you.  
Dex: I love you too.  
Dex: Between how my family reacted and your family reacted and high school guys and having sex... Everything became really REAL all of a sudden.  
Dex: I don't know what to do next...  
Nursey: Can I come over?  
Dex: Please!

There was a soft knock on his door a minute later and Dex answered it. He did not say a word, instead he grabbed Nursey in a firm, yet gentle hug. Nursey wrapped his arms around Dex as well, and the two men stayed there for nearly two minutes, hugging in the doorway to Dex's dorm room.

Dex opened his mouth to speak, but did not know what to say during a moment like this. Nursey let out a soft sigh against his shoulder and he smiled. Dex led the way to his bed and crawled in, patting the mattress to signal Nursey to join him. He did. Dex wrapped his arms around Nursey again, spooning his back and adjusting his head on his pillow so that he would not be breathing directly on Nursey's neck for the rest of the night.

The room was already dark, Dex had not bothered to turn on any lights. Nursey's whispered voice broke the silence. "I can feel your heart beating against my back."

"Sorry."

"I like it. I'm happy you're here."

"It's _my_ room."

"Well then, I'm happy I'm here _with_ you."

"Me too." Dex sighed and felt most of the tension leave his body. They had a lot they needed to talk about, but that could wait until morning.

******

Dex slept the rest of the night with Nursey in his arms. The faint scent of his cologne was so welcome and comforting each morning, and it made him smile when he awoke to the familiar smell. "I love you," Dex whispered.

"I love you too," Nursey responded with a chuckle, knowing Dex would be startled.

"You're awake?"

"Yeah, for a little while now. Maybe 20 minutes?"

"Can you move, then? My arm is asleep."

Nursey immediately sat up to free his boyfriend's arm, and lied back down facing Dex. He gently rubbed the other man's tingling arm to help him regain sensation. "Sorry, babe. Um, good morning."

"Good morning," Dex said and gave him a small peck on the lips.

"So... I guess this is where we talk, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Do you wanna start?"

Dex sighed. "Okay, I'm just going to blurt it all out -- I don't like it when you spend money on me. It feels like you're flaunting it in my face or trying to buy me. I _know_  that's not what you mean to do, but... Part of me feels like the dinner and the wine and the hot tub and everything... Like it was all some show. I wanted to have sex, but now I'm worried that I only did it because of those things, and it's stupid because if anything I've been the only one pushing for it since we started dating. Or maybe you only wanted to have sex with me after you could see me fit into your world -- all the expensive clothes and food and everything. Like it was all a show so you could pretend I was someone _better_ that your parents could approve of."

"No, Will. Fuck, I never even thought- I promise that wasn't it at all. I just wanted to pamper you and do some nice things. In my family, doing nice things involved spending money -- buying gifts, nice dinners, whatever -- and New York is the craziest place for that because there's such excess there. Maybe we should have stayed for some of the day yesterday. I had all these plans -- normal plans."

"Like what?"

"I was going to take you to all the tourist spots I could possibly stand -- the Bronx Zoo, Central Park, _Times Square_ \--" Nursey winced when he said it. "All of that crap. And then? I was going to take you to the food truck that has parked in the same spot a block away from my old middle school for the past ten years so you could see where I used to go for lunch everyday."

"A food truck?" Dex chuckled.

"Yeah. I used to buy chicken fingers from the guy every lunch break -- and eat them with _plum sauce_."

"Gross."

Nursey laughed and kissed his shoulder. "And I wanted to take you to this cafe that has slam poetry nights that I used to go to every summer home from Andover. I'd sit there for hours and people watch, and sometimes a poet would say something that just _gets_  me and then I'd spend the next ten minutes trying not to cry in public. Stuff like that, you know? Get _**real**_  New York pizza and hot dogs..."

Dex grinned. "So the rest of your plan was cheap food and crying?"

"Basically. Maybe step on a roach or get peed on by a rat or something." Nursey shrugged and they both laughed. He touched Dex's face. "Maybe I should have started with those plans, instead. I'm sorry, really Will. I was trying to show off, that's all. I didn't think that it might bother you. Next time I try to pamper you it will be really low key, I swear. Peanut butter on toast and a massage while we watch Netflix or something."

"I'd like that." Dex turned his head to kiss the palm of Nursey's hand.

Nursey rubbed his cheek with his thumb. "Do you regret having sex with me?"

"No. Do you?"

"Of course not. Never in a million years would I regret that. It was perfect and beautiful and more than I ever could have imagined. I'll remember it for the rest of my life."

"I wasn't bad at it?"

"No," Nursey said with a smile. "You were perfect. So good, babe."

"You too." Dex blushed lightly. "Ugh. How are you so good at saying things? You have the right words for everything and I can't string a normal sentence together at times like this. How do you always say the exact right thing?"

"Therapy," Nursey answered honestly. "I've spent a lot of time talking about how I really felt and putting those thoughts into words."

"Sometimes it feels like there are so many thoughts screaming in my head I can't think straight. Like last night."

Nursey ran his fingers through his short red hair, his thumb brushing against the big ears that Dex hated but he loved. "Have you thought about talking to somebody? Professionally? The campus offers free counselling services."

"Maybe..."

"You went through something traumatic, and your family has done a fucking _phenomenal_ job at helping you through it, but there's only so much they can do. It's okay to ask for help if you need it. I'd have your back every step of the way, you know? I'm sure everyone else would too."

"I know, but talking to a stranger..."

"Sometimes it helps to have someone neutral. You can tell them about things you're not ready to tell me, or can't discuss with your family..."

"Yeah." Dex sighed softly and bit his lip.

Nursey decided not to press the issue any further. "What's on your mind, babe?"

"My family. They handled things pretty well, right? All things considered. They seem to like you, but..."

"But what?"

"It could have gone _**so**_ much worse in so many ways, so I should be grateful that they've accepted that I'm gay and aren't giving me any of the 'it's a phase' or 'no son of mine' or 'are you sure you just haven't met the right girl' lines... But, I don't know. 

"Part of it feels like they're being supportive in a 'let's make the best of a bad situation' way. Like they're relieved that you seem nice and I seem happy, but there's still this 'we'll get through this together as a family' feeling, and this isn't something that we need to _get through,_  it's just **me**. Part of who I am. A part that I'm _finally_ starting to like about myself."

"They'll come around in time, I'm sure of it. They've only had a few days to process it. That said, don't be afraid to talk to them about it if it bothers you."

"Speaking of families, remember when you asked me if I could still date you if my family didn't approve?"

Nursey swallowed. "Yeah. You said 'no'..."

Dex sighed and took Nursey's hand. "I'm not sure I can date you if your parents disapprove either. I'm not saying we should break up right now--" He squeezed his hand and kissed Nursey's knuckles. "But what if ten years down the road, they still hate me?"

"I don't care what they think. You shouldn't either. My parents don't even know you."

"You don't care what they think _now_. What if you end up resenting me somewhere down the line? What if they disown you or something? Will you still love me the same when I've cost you your family and your fortune?"

"No," Nursey replied immediately. It caught Dex by surprise, but Nursey spoke again before he could say anything else. "I'll love you _better_. Ten years from now I'll love you more than I can even imagine right now, and you won't have _cost_  me anything. I don't care about money, Will. Maybe because I've always had it and never worked for it...  But that _stuff_ has never made me happy. So if giving up a relationship with my parents and their money is what's worrying you, forget it. I'll pick happiness and _you_ every time."

"But-"

"Let's just take it a day at a time and hope it doesn't come to that, okay? You don't need to worry." Nursey wished he could kiss the little scar on Dex's forehead, but that was the side against the pillow. He settled for a kiss to the bridge of Dex's nose, which made him laugh. It was a good sound. The greatest sound.

"Okay."

"And as for what you said yesterday, about me being out of your league -- sorry babe, but you're just plain _**wrong**_  there. I'm not out of your league. If anything, you're out of mine. I don't know what I did to deserve you being sent my way, but you better believe I'm going to do everything in my power not to fuck it up. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Will."

Dex let out an exasperated sigh. Once again, Nursey knew exactly what to say and he was left speechless. "Same." They kissed again and drifted back to sleep in one another's arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! What a ride! One more chapter to go! Although, it might be a chapter/epilogue hybrid depending on how long it actually gets.
> 
> Ahhh I thrive on serious healthy communication in fic relationships (and real life of course lol). Relationships are work people, and not every conversation is going to be an easy one, but communication is important. (Maybe Nursey needs to take some of his own advice when it comes dealing with his parents)


	9. Chapter 9

Nursey woke up an hour later but Dex was gone from his own room. He sent a text and waited five minutes without a response before crawling out of bed. There were a dozen more missed phone calls and messages from his parents, but Nursey did not feel like talking to them at the moment. He found a sticky note on the nightstand, instead. 

Derek,  
Didn't want to wake you. I'll be back in a bit. Lock the door if you leave.  
\- Will <3

Nursey smiled and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He decided to go back to his own room in order to get properly dressed. He could hear a commotion on the third floor as he ascended the stairs, but was not prepared for the sight that awaited him. His parents.

"Derek! Thank god!"

Nursey was grabbed into a hug by both of his parents and froze. He could not remember a time in recent years when they had both hugged him. The few other students congregated in the hallway dispersed. "We were so worried..."

"What?" Nursey pulled away slowly and looked at the opened door to his dorm room. "Why are you here? Why is my room open?"

His father explained once they were in the privacy of Nursey's room. "We asked your RA to open it. You weren't answering any of our calls, and you were so upset when you left..."

"Yeah. I was _mad_ so I was _ignoring_ you. You thought..." Nursey trailed off. "So you drove all the way here to check on me?" He sat down on his bed cross-legged and his mother sat next to him. His dad pulled the chair over from his desk to sit close as well. "Why?"

"Derek, how could you even ask that?"

"Do you remember what we said on the way home from the hospital?" His dad asked. Nursey shook his head. "Just because we can't always be around, it doesn't mean that we don't love you."

"It's true. We love you more than anything in the world."

"Is that why you sent me away to a boarding school where you didn't have to deal with me?"

"That was never our intention." His dad said, which caused Nursey to scoff. "We thought it would be good for you to get out of the city for a while. Somewhere with kids your own age, where you could have structure, and a sense of community. You spent so much time cooped up in your room at home."

"Somewhere with fresh air to go skiing or play hockey or whatever else you wanted to do. We thought it would be the opportunity of a lifetime for you. Andover meant so much to _both_ of us. It changed our lives," his mom added.

"...Well, it wasn't like that for _me_. I hated it there. It changed nothing."

"I'm sorry we did not realize that sooner. We wanted to help. We thought you could make some friends there -- you always looked so lonely."

"Superficial friends are worse than none." Nursey sighed. "I made one _good_ friend there -- he was the prefect in my junior dorm and then graduated after that. We kept in touch and I decided to go to Samwell like he did. He was always talking about his teammates and it seemed like everyone got along really well, so I wanted to check it out.

"The friends you wanted me to make? The sense of community? Structure? I have all of that at _Samwell_. My teammates are like my brothers, and Will... He's the best part. I can be myself here and not some hollow shell. I finally feel like a real person. And I love Will. He loves me too. You can think what you want about him, but you'd be wrong."

His dad sighed. "We're worried about you, that's all. There are people out there who will try to take advantage of you."

"Maybe so, but he's not like that, I promise. He was really angry about me spending money on him. We got into a big fight about it yesterday, I thought he was going to break up with me. If you asked him what he _disliked_ about me, _that_ would be it. Will is really good for me. He makes me feel grounded. He's a good person from a _good_  family -- they actually hug and talk to each other about their problems. It's just- they're wonderful people and having less money than you doesn't make them inherently worse or us any better."

"I never meant to suggest that. And Derek, sweetheart, the last thing we ever wanted was to hurt you or make you feel unwanted. We enrolled you in Andover because we thought it would keep you safe," his mom said.

"Your safety and happiness is the only thing that _really_ matters to us. The _**only**_ thing."

Nursey took a minute to respond. In all his years, he could not remember having a conversation like this one with his parents. Maybe after he was released from the psychiatric unit at the hospital, but those days were a blur while he tried to adjust to his medication and his return home. At fourteen, he did not have the maturity to articulate how he truly felt, and his parents had seemed omnipotent. Now he could see them as real people -- flawed, but trying their best despite their near-failure. 

He cleared his throat. "I _am_ happy, _and_ safe. My life is good here. I'm studying hard, I have a lot of friends, I'm taking my meds properly... I still have some bad days, sure, but I finally feel like I _belong_  somewhere. I _love_ Will, and I'll fight my own way if necessary, but I would rather have your blessing."

"Can we meet him?"

"Okay."

******

Nursey had tried calling Dex, but there was no answer. He texted Chowder instead while he got dressed in 'proper' clothes. He could not really object to his mother on that one, Nursey was still in the boxers and t-shirt he had worn to Dex's room in the middle of the night.

Nursey: Have you seen Dex? I can't get a hold of him...  
Chowder: Dex is at the Haus!!  
Chowder: The dishwasher is acting up.  
Chowder: The water isn't draining, there's just a big puddle at the bottom!  
Chowder: I hope he can fix it before Bitty gets home!!!  
Nursey: Im sure he can. Thanks C.

Nursey brought his parents to the Haus and found his boyfriend half-inside the dishwasher, tinkering with the parts. "Hey, babe?"

"Oh, good!" Dex said without looking up from his task. "Can you hand me the needlenose pliers? There's something wedged in here and my hand it's too big. I can't get a good grip with my fingers."

"Um, sure... And the pliers would be...?"

"Needlenose pliers. In my toolbox on the counter. It's got orange handles and looks sorta like a bird with a long beak."

Nursey gave his parents a goofy shrug and started digging through the toolbox. "You mean this thing that looks like one of those medieval plague doctor masks?"

"Does it have an orange handle?"

"Yeah."

"That's the one," Dex said and held out a dripping wet hand. He took the pliers and emerged a minute later with a beer cap. "What in the hell?" He groaned as he stood, eyes not leaving the small piece in his hand. "Who in their right mind puts a beer cap in the dishwasher?"

"Hey, Will?" Nursey asked as he watched him walk to the garbage to toss out the bottle cap. "Can you take a quick break before putting that all back together? I have some people here who want to meet you."

"What do you-- Oh god." Dex froze once he finally turned around and was faced with Nursey's parents. Even without the glimpse he caught the day before, Dex would know these people were clearly Nursey's parents. He had his father's broad nose and his mother's grey-green eyes. Dex looked down at the dirty water splashed on his shirt and his still-damp hands. He felt he might be sick and shot Nursey a panicked look. "You could've given me some warning..."

"I tried calling, but you didn't answer. C told me you were here. Where is he?"

"He went to mur-- he went to Stop and Shop."

Nursey cleared his throat. "Uh, well, this is my mom and dad," he began as he gestured to his parents. "And this is William Poindexter, my amazing boyfriend."

Dex blushed. His embarrassment was quickly replaced with panic when Nursey's dad extended his hand to shake his. "Ah! I'm sorry, Dr. Nurse. I have dishwasher gunk on me," he fumbled through his apologies and wiped his hand on his shirt. It did not help. "Um..."

Nursey's parents chuckled at how flustered Dex was getting. His dad smiled. "A rain check, then."

"Absolutely. I'm really sorry. I'm so embarrassed."

"It's nice to meet you, William. Derek has been telling us a lot of wonderful things," his mom said.

"Oh, well, I... He embellishes. I'm not that exciting."

Nursey scoffed. "I _don't_ embellish, you're just modest."

"You seem to be quite handy, William."

"Oh, just little repairs, sir. There's always something to do around here. I used to help out in my uncle's repair shop on weekends."

"He fixed Bitty's old oven about a dozen times before he absolutely had to scrap it."

Dex laughed nervously. "It's not a very shining endorsement that it kept breaking..."

"You kept it running for months longer than anyone else could have," Nursey boasted on his boyfriend's behalf.

Nursey's dad stooped next to the dishwasher and picked up one of the racks. "You took all of this apart? Have you done this before?"

"Well, not with this specific model, but all dishwashers are fundamentally the same design."

"Could you show me?"

His amber eyes widened. "Oh, um... Yes sir, absolutely." Dex cringed when his boyfriend's father sat down on the Haus floor in what was sure to be an expensive suit. Thank goodness Bitty kept his kitchen pristine. Dex began piecing the dishwasher parts back together. "These screws are actually stainless steel. A lot of people replace them with a regular screw if they get lost, but those rust," he explained as he deftly screwed them in despite the awkward position his body was in to accommodate the open dishwasher door.

"You have a steady hand."

"Hah! Says the _neurosurgeon_ ," Dex laughed before he could catch himself.

"Well then you should trust my husband knows what he's talking about."

"Right. Um, thank you sir. That's very kind of you to say." The blush crept from his ears towards his cheeks.

"William. You do not have to call me 'sir' all the time."

"Yes sir. Um. _Yes_." Dex focussed back on the task at hand and demonstrated how to put the rest of the dishwasher together. "Now you just slide the racks back in and clip these little stoppers in place for the top rack and voila! We're done!"

"How did a bottle cap end up in there in the first place?" Nursey's mom asked.

"I have literally no idea. It's physically impossible for it to reach the spot where I found it." Dex laughed. "But it's pretty worn, it must have been in there for a while and then finally lodged in the wrong spot."

"Thank you for showing me, William."

"My pleasure. You can call me Will, if you'd prefer..."

"Or Willy!" Nursey volunteered.

" _Please_ not Willy." 

"Derek, behave yourself."

Nursey's dad looked around the room as he stood. He frowned slightly at the bags of free condoms and 'lost and found' items of clothing pinned to the bulletin board. "So your friends actually live here?"

"Yes, but none of them are home right now. Most of them are gone for spring break, and Chris went to the store," Dex explained.

"My fingers are crossed for dibs next year," Nursey said with a grin.

"Dibs?" 

"It's when one of the teammates here gives their room to a younger guy when they graduate. Babe, what if we got to live in _the attic?_ " He continued to beam, this time at Dex.

"The _attic...?_ " His mother looked like she might be sick as she imagined what condition the attic of a place like the Haus must be in.

"You want to live here?"

"Definitely. Faber and the pond are tied for a close second, but this place is my favourite spot on campus. It really feels like a home," Nursey insisted, despite how his father's eyes found their way back to the bulletin board.

"The kitchen is a nice size, I _suppose_..." His mother conceded.

"And the other spot? Faber, you said?"

"Yeah, it's the hockey rink."

Dex was not the type to usually butt into anyone else's business, but Nursey was more than just anyone. It bothered him that his parents had never visited the campus that was so important to their son. "You should take your parents on a campus tour," he suggested, turning from Nursey to his parents. "It's your first time visiting, right?" Nursey glanced over at him with the hint of a grin on his lips. He knew full-well that there was attitude beneath Dex's innocent-sounding words. 

"Will you come too, William?"

Dex looked down at his dirty clothes. "I'll need to wash up first. Maybe I can borrow a clean shirt from Chowder's room. Excuse me, I'll only be a minute." Dex bounded up the stairs.

Why were Nursey's parents even here? Had they come to convince Nursey to break up with him? Was this Nursey's last ditch effort to get their approval? They wanted him to come along for the tour, that was a good sign, right? And Nursey's dad seemed at least _intrigued_ by his handiness. The tension between Nursey and his parents from the day before had visibly eased as well. Maybe Dex could win over their initial opinions of him, after all. Their harsh words from the day before still weighed on his mind.

Downstairs, Nursey's parents turned to their son. "He seems like a nice young man," his father said.

"Very sweet," his mother added.

" _ **He is**_. That's what I've been _trying_ to tell you. He's the absolute best."

His dad sighed. "Do you know how hard I tried to get your grandpa to like me? It's been over twenty years and nothing I did ever made me good enough. To this day he _still_ doesn't like me, if anything, he _tolerates_ me. It's a miracle your mother stayed with me through all these years. I don't want to put someone else through that." He exchanged a serious look with his wife.

"What are you saying?"

"You were right, Derek. It was unfair of us to judge someone without knowing him," his mother admitted.

"We don't know him very well yet, but I look forward to fixing that." 

Nursey smiled. "I hope so."

Dex came back downstairs a minute later, blushing. His ears were as red as the sleeves of the Samwell shirt he was now wearing. He startled when Nursey's father spoke to him.

"We owe you an apology, William. I know you overheard the things we said yesterday -- we made crude assumptions about your character without a chance to get to know you. It was done out of concern for our son's well-being, but that does not mean we were not _wrong_. That was grossly unfair of us, and I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry as well. I hope you will grant us a fresh start." Nursey's mother hugged her son when she saw him beginning to get emotional at their apologies.

Dex smiled softly at his boyfriend caught somewhat awkwardly in his mother's arms. Nursey could deny all he wanted about caring what his parents thought, but at the end of the day, they were still his parents. If this was the olive branch on their way to reconciling, Dex was certainly not going to get in the way of that.

His heart raced as he held out his hand to Nursey's father. "I'm pleased to meet you, Dr. Nurse. My name is William Poindexter, and I'm in love with your son."

"Babe~!" Dex choked back a laugh at his boyfriend. 

He shook his hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, Will."

"I believe there was talk of a campus tour?"

"Right. I'll lead the way." Nursey ushered his parents to the door, but held back for a moment while a Dex slipped on his shoes. He hugged him tightly and kissed the little scar on his forehead. "I love you so much. Thank you for being so chill about this."

Dex laughed. "Is that another first? You calling me chill instead of _telling_ me to be?" He hugged him back. "I love you too. You still have to explain why exactly they've shown up here, but your parents are waiting so let's go."

"Yeah, it's a whole big thing. I was completely shocked to see them. I'll explain everything later." Nursey paused outside the door. "Should we lock up if nobody's home?"

Dex turned bright red. "Um, actually Farmer is still home... _apparently_..."

Nursey flashed him a quizzical grin. "Okay you are definitely telling me _**that**_ story later." They walked down the porch steps to join his parents. "I'm really glad you're here. It's too bad you couldn't meet the rest of the guys."

His father looked to his wife with a small smile. "Well, maybe we can visit again before the season is over. We can come watch one of your games."

"That'd be great, _really_ great." Nursey smiled and directed them down the street towards the river quad. Dex fell into step beside him and took his hand. They smiled shyly at one another, and he kissed the back of Nursey's hand and gave it a small squeeze as the walked. Nursey beamed happily. "First stop, Founder's Library!"

 

*** The End ***

(epilogue to follow)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end!   
> I do have a short little epilogue planned that takes place a week later when the team is all at the Haus. Unlike other epilogues, I swear this one really won't be the size of an entire chapter. Just wrapping up a couple little loose ends with some added fluff and goofy bros.


	10. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised! Happy little epilogue :)  
> Thank you all so so so much for reading!!!
> 
> PLEASE NOTE: I just posted Chapter 9 yesterday, so make sure you have read that first before this epilogue.

Dex stepped outside of the counselling offices and found Nursey waiting for him. "Hey."

"Hey babe, how'd it go?"

"Good, I guess. It was my first time, so I don't exactly have a point of reference..."

Nursey held his hand as they walked. "Are you thinking you'll keep with it for a while?"

"Yeah. We'll see where it goes..." Dex let out and exhausted sigh. "Sorry, I've done enough talking for one afternoon. It's your turn now. How did it go for you?"

"It went well. We talked about budgets and she set me up with this handy excel sheet to manage my expenses. I might ask Ransom or Holster to show me the ropes with Excel so I don't accidentally click something that screws up the formula." Nursey laughed. "She gave me some paper copies too, just in case."

While Dex had started appointments with the campus counsellor, Nursey had his own meeting to learn how to better manage his money. Dex had encouraged him to try living closer to a regular student's budget, and to rein in his more frivolous spending habits.

They went to the Haus and hung out in the kitchen with Bitty and Chowder, while their older teammate baked a batch of cookies. They filled each other in on little stories from their respective spring breaks that had been missed in the week since school resumed. Things seemed to be business as usual, that is, until Farmer arrived.

Dex immediately turned red. "Hey Farmer..." He had managed to avoid her for the past week, but that was over now.

Nursey, who had been filled in about the situation, chuckled and touched his ears. "You're blushing so much, babe!"

"Why???" Chowder asked.

"It's too embarrassing..."

"It's fine, Dex. Really. I'm over it. I was over it immediately." Farmer laughed and turned to her boyfriend. "He came into your room to borrow a shirt last week while you weren't there, but _I_ was..."

"So? It's okay if you borrow my shirts, Dex! I don't mind!"

" _So,_ I didn't realize anyone else was in the Haus at the time," she continued to explain.

"Were you scared??" Chowder put his arm around her.

Farmer laughed. "No, but I was _naked_." Dex turned an ever darker shade of red.

"What? Dex!!! You saw my girlfriend's _stuff???_ "

"My 'stuff?' Super romantic, sweetie."

Nursey shrugged. "Could've been worse. He could've said your 'junk' instead." They grinned at each other, their boyfriends oblivious to their side conversation.

"It was an accident! You didn't tell me she was up there!" Dex insisted. "I had to borrow a clean shirt and I was so focussed on Nursey's parents that I didn't even consider that Farmer would be home with you..."

"It's totally fine. I covered up immediately and the only light in the room was what was peeking through the curtains," she reassured him. "No harm done."

"NOPE!" Holster declared loudly as he entered the kitchen with Ransom and Lardo. "Sorry, bro. Farmer has to see Dex naked now. Sitcom Rules. It's only fair."

"That never works," Ransom pointed out.

" _Of course_ it doesn't, but that's not the point. Wait here!" Holster hurried off and returned a moment later with a whiteboard, wheeling it into the corner of the kitchen for all to see. He scrawled 'TV Shit with Holster' along the top of it. Ransom grabbed a second marker and added 'ONLY Holster' beside it, to be sure everyone knew he wanted no part of this.

"Brah, where'd that even come from?" Lardo arched one eyebrow.

Holster ignored their confusion and continued with his explanation, drawing it out as he spoke. "Okay, so Dex saw Farmer naked, so the only way to restore the balance is for Farmer to see Dex naked as well."

"I really don't need to-"

"Shh! Here's the plan: Farmer tries to catch Dex in the shower, but actually sees Ransom. They both scream, but she takes an extra peek before leaving because Rans is _impressively hot._ Rans, you try to see Dex now because this is all his fault to begin with but when you rip open the shower curtain, it's actually **Bad Bob Zimmermann**."

"Why me?!" Ransom protested.

"And why would I ever shower at the Haus? Why would _Jack's dad_ be showering at the Haus?" Dex asked.

" _Because_ Bitty invited him here for a serious talk so that he could ask permission to marry Jack, but Lardo spilled her paints on him and he had to wash up, _**obviously**_. What the fuck, has _nobody_ watched TV in the past 30 years?"

"So I'm just walking around the kitchen with a bunch of paints during their important conversation?" Lardo asked. 

"Your plan is full of holes, bro. This makes no sense."

"It's not _supposed_ to make sense, it's a trope!"

Bitty spoke up next. Dex hoped he would be the voice of reason to calm the room, but not quite. "I'm not proposing to Jack now, we haven't even been together for a full year yet. And I wouldn't make him fly all the way down here to ask something like that. If anything, _I'd_ fly to Montréal to ask his parents' for their permission, but I'd probably just ask over Skype or with a phone call unless we happened to have coinciding visits to Providence and I could see them in person."

Nursey grinned at him. "You've thought about this a lot, huh Bitty?"

It was Bitty's turn to blush as the room erupted with friendly chirping. Ransom grabbed him in a light headlock and ruffled his hair. "Aww, Bits!!!"

"Shut up!"

Holster had enough of the wasted time. "Okay, so Bad Bob is out, but the first part of the plan is still doable. Rans, Dex, go shower upstairs. Don't tell us which bathrooms you each decide to use. Farmer, wait five minutes and then go up there too. You have a 50/50 shot of getting this right, but remember you're looking for _Ransom_ this time."

"Bro, what the actual fuck?"

"Yeah, I'm not doing that." Farmer laughed. "It wasn't a big deal, Dex apologized like a dozen times."

Nursey nudged his boyfriend. "Why are you still so red, Dex? It was an accident and she said she's okay with it."

"It was kinda fun, actually," Farmer said and the rest of the room stared at her.

"Fun???"

"She rolled herself up in a bedsheet and helped me pick out shirts..." Dex explained the rest of the awkward encounter.

"I wanted him to look nice for Nursey's parents, and it's _clearly_  a two-person job to sift through all the Sharks gear."

"Why wasn't I home???"

"You went to the store," Dex replied.

"For what?"

" _You know..._ " Farmer prompted. Chowder appeared to be confused still. "Condoms, Chris. We had the Haus to ourselves for the entire week and we ran out of condoms."

"Oh. That's right!"

Bitty attempted to bring the conversation back to a normal topic as the cheering, laughter, and high fives died down. "So, you met Nursey's parents?" He asked Dex.

"Yeah."

"He taught my dad how to reassemble a dishwasher. It was 'swawesome." Nursey grinned and nudges his shoulder into Dex again.

"Oh, that sounds... Fun?" Bitty offered an unsure smile.

"They were sorry that they didn't get to meet everyone, but they're goin to come to our game on Saturday at Yale. The drive is a little shorter for them and a couple extra Samwell fans in the crowd wouldn't hurt."

"That's so nice!!!" Chowder exclaimed, before adding more quietly, "Are you getting along better with your parents now?"

"We're working on it. I took them on a campus tour finally. My mom gossiped about her pretentious friends the entire time, so it was like my old and new worlds colliding, but it was good." He smiled.

An alarm went off on Dex's phone and he promptly silenced it. He tapped Nursey on the arm. "We gotta go, sweetheart. I promised my parents I'd skype with them this afternoon."

Holster's face lit up when he heard the pet name leave the redhead's lips. A payment to the Sin Bin was certainly in order. " _Fiiiii- **ow!**_ "

Bitty rapped his knuckles with a wooden spoon. "Shh. Let him have this one," he ordered. Holster may have been one of the captains, and team rules may be important, but even he did not want to cross Bitty on this. Those cookies smelled way too good.

Dex and Nursey walked back to their dorm while holding hands like usual, and up to Nursey's room where Dex had left his laptop. "What time did you promise to skype them?" Nursey asked.

"At four."

"We have almost an hour still."

"I know, there's something I wanted to try with you."

Nursey grinned. "I think we tried a lot last night..."

"Shit, you're not sore, are you?"

"Only in the good ways," Nursey said as he removed his shirt.

Dex laughed when he turned around from the desk. "Wait, no. I was just joking around. There's something _serious_ I want to try." He took a piece of paper and ripped it in half, the grabbed two pens. "Write down where you see yourself in five years. _**ONLY YOU--**_  leave me completely out of the picture. Put down where you picture yourself living, working, if you have any pets, all that. I'll do it too."

They both jotted down their notes and Dex spoke first. "Okay, so in five years, I see myself working for a tech startup somewhere in a big city, or maybe somewhere in California like Silicon Valley. Um, probably in a modest one-bedroom apartment that allows pets -- at least a cat, but I would like a dog too if the building allowed it. Maybe a snake or a gecko or something too. It would be really cool if I could get something off the ground with Chowder, because we already work so well together. Um... Oh, and air conditioning is definitely required wherever I end up living." Dex showed his paper to Nursey, but deliberately kept one part covered with his thumb. "Your turn."

"Well, I see myself somewhere like New York or LA, working as a writer, maybe have a couple of songs I wrote on the radio by then. I'd like a cat or two because they're pretty chill, and a dog because I've always really wanted one and it would help keep me active by taking it for walks. I guess a one bedroom apartment with a nice view and a balcony. Nothing major, but a decent view of _something_. I don't want to look out my window and have to stair at a brick wall a foot away." Nursey smiled at Dex before saying his final point. "And our wedding photo in the living room."

"You're not supposed to include me in this exercise..." Dex repeated as he looked at the words 'wedding photo' jotted down on Nursey's scrap of paper. He felt his face heat up and his heart skip a beat.

"I can't even _imagine_ a future without you."

Dex scoffed out a little laugh. "I know that's super lame and I _should_ totally chirp you, but I really want to make out instead."

"Ooh, let's go with door #2," Nursey said as he leaned over, pausing as he was about to kiss his boyfriend. "What about you? Do you see me in _your_  future too?"

Dex sighed, a little embarrassed still, and showed Nursey the part of his paper that he had strategically hidden with his thumb earlier. It read 'married/getting married.'

"To me?"

" _Obviously you,_ doofus!"

"Just checking." Nursey grinned and kissed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nobody cares about your favourite sitcom tropes, Holster. Don't make this- oh! Yup! You made it weird. Ffs...  
> Dex finally called Nursey a pet name? And it was sweetheart?? And he said it in front of all their friends??? Yup x3!  
> Nursey is unapologetically cheesy. No regerts. (Lol)  
> I hope you enjoyed the fic!!!  
> I have a couple other short fics planned that do not fall into this series (one is a Zimbits AU that starts super depressing but I promise has a happy ending and the other is a silly AU where Bitty uncovers the details of a successful heist while searching for the missing Haus basement key) and then I plan to continue the series with another Kent/Corey instalment.  
> Come check me out on tumblr: tdkeh.tumblr.com  
> I have lots of other little writing under the "omgcp prompts" tag, including a future NurseyDex proposal that fits in with this series, and one where Nursey gets his wisdom teeth removed.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think! Feedback is always appreciated!


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